Chairing a high-level meeting at Sahyadri State Guest House, Pawar said the initiative will be modelled on Pune Zilla Parishad’s campaign for the empowerment of single women. He stressed the need to help single women gain social respect, property rights, healthcare access, and economic independence
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. File Pic
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday directed the launch of a state-wide special campaign to ensure single women receive the benefits of various government welfare schemes and become financially self-reliant.
Chairing a high-level meeting at Sahyadri State Guest House, Pawar said the initiative will be modelled on Pune Zilla Parishad’s campaign for the empowerment of single women, according to a release. He stressed the need to help single women gain social respect, property rights, healthcare access, and economic independence.
In a release, Pawar also proposed extending financial assistance to single women for remarriage, similar to schemes in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Additionally, he instructed officials to include eligible single women beneficiaries under the state’s housing scheme.
The meeting was attended by Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, Minister of State Meghna Bordikar-Sakore, and senior bureaucrats from various departments, including Revenue, Rural Development, Planning, Finance, and Public Health.
As per the release, officials discussed plans to conduct a state-wide survey to build a digital database of single women, amend government resolutions to give them preference in recruitment processes like ANM, staff nurse, and NHM hiring, and provide easier access to official documents and loans for starting small businesses.
According to the release, Pawar also called for organising awareness camps and guidance sessions at the village level to inform single women about available welfare schemes and opportunities for self-employment.
Farmer leader Bachchu Kadu criticises Ajit Pawar over loan waiver remarks, says statement hold 'no weight'
Prahar Janshakti Party chief and farmer leader Bachchu Kadu on Monday criticised Ajit Pawar over his recent comments urging farmers to maintain “financial discipline,” saying his remarks “carry no weight” compared to those of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, reported the IANS.
Kadu, who is leading ongoing protests for farm loan waivers, claimed there were “clear differences” between CM Fadnavis and his deputy.
“There is a difference between the Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar. The Chief Minister has announced a loan waiver to be implemented by June 2026. If it is carried out before that date, all the better. As for Ajit Pawar, his statement holds no weight compared to the Chief Minister’s. He is only a cabinet minister and does not have the authority to decide this issue,” Kadu said, according to the ANI.
Ajit Pawar had earlier stated that the government would take a final decision on the farm loan waiver by June 30, 2026, urging farmers not to expect such relief measures repeatedly and to practise financial discipline.
Ajit Pawar’s remarks came days after Bachchu Kadu led a massive farmers’ protest in Maharashtra's Nagpur, blocking a highway to demand immediate debt relief.
Following the protest, the Maharashtra government announced plans for a farm loan waiver and set up a committee to draft recommendations on how to help farmers escape mounting debt.
Chief Minister Fadnavis said that the government would act on the committee’s report (expected by April 2026) and implement the waiver before June 30, 2026, in line with the ruling alliance’s election promise.
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