Eknath Shinde honoured with Commonwealth Public Leadership Award at British Parliament, credits schemes

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday received the Commonwealth Public Leadership Award at the British Parliament during his threeday visit to London and attributed the recognition to the work of the state government and its welfare schemesSpeaking to ANI Shinde highlighted the Maharashtra governments initiatives aimed at providing financial assistance and public services including a womens welfare scheme and a programme intended to make government services more accessible to citizensShinde is on an official visit to London from September 9 to 11Shinde receives leadership award in LondonShinde said he was pleased with the reception he received in London and described the award as recognition of the work carried out in MaharashtraI am very happy to come to London because as soon as I landed at the airport I saw glimpses of Maharashtras culture and the Marathi spirit being celebrated Many people were waiting to welcome me I was also honoured with the Commonwealth Public Leadership Award at the British Parliament This is the blessing of 12 crore people of Maharashtra The womens welfare scheme and the government services programme have become very beneficial for the people of Maharashtra and I have received this award because of the work done through these initiatives he saidShinde credited the Mahayuti government and said the award reflected the impact of schemes implemented by the state administration His remarks were made in the context of the welfare and publicservice initiatives undertaken by the Maharashtra governmentMeetings with students and industrialistsShinde also spoke about his meetings with students entrepreneurs and industrialists during the London visitToday I met students entrepreneurs and small and big industrialists I saw that people are working towards promoting Maharashtras culture even in London I got an opportunity to speak in Marathi at the British Parliament The entire day in London became a celebration of Marathi culture The work done by the Mahayuti government through the womens welfare scheme and the government services programme was recognised by the UK government and I am very happy to receive this award Shinde saidThe deputy chief ministers visit includes engagements with members of the Indian diaspora as well as business representatives as Maharashtra seeks to strengthen cultural and economic ties with the UKMarathi community welcomes ShindeIn a post on X Shinde referred to the reception he received from members of the Marathi community at London AirportThis time the local Marathi residents living in London shook the entire airport with their traditional attire and the resounding beats of traditional drums They welcomed me with immense joy amid chants of Jai Bhavani Jai Shivaji and May the beloved brother of our beloved sisters emerge victorious he saidShinde also said he met event organisers and members of the Marathi community who have lived in the UK for several yearsOn this occasion I had the opportunity to meet the organizers of the events here as well as many people who have lived in the UK for years yet kept the fragrance of Marathi soil alive in their hearts With the youths support they first held the saffron flag and then the tricolor raising slogans of Jai Hind and Jai Maharashtra Their heartfelt welcome marked the start of my London visit with great enthusiasm Shinde postedWomens welfare scheme provides financial assistanceOne of the schemes highlighted by Shinde is the Maharashtra governments womens welfare programme which was launched by the states Women and Child Development DepartmentThe scheme is aimed at providing financial assistance to women aged between 21 and 65 years According to the schemes stated objectives the assistance is intended to support womens economic independence health and nutrition and their role in household decisionmakingEligible beneficiaries receive Rs 1500 through direct benefit transfer DBT according to the details provided by the Maharashtra governmentShinde has previously highlighted the scheme as one of the major welfare initiatives implemented by the state governmentGovernment services programme brings schemes closer to citizensThe other initiative cited by Shinde was the government services programme launched in May 2023 when he was serving as Maharashtra chief ministerThe programme is designed to provide citizens access to government benefits documents and welfare schemes at a single location reducing the need to visit multiple government officesShinde said the initiatives had benefited people across Maharashtra and linked their implementation to the recognition he received in London