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50 per cent quota for women in Rajasthan urban local bodies

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje announced 50 per cent reservation for women in the urban local bodies and establishment of new universities in Bharatpur, Alwar and Sikar while replying to the debate on the Finance and Appropriation Bill in the State Assembly on Monday.

The 2008-09 State Budget was passed by a voice vote after Ms. Raje’s reply.

She said the BJP-led government had tried to extend relief to all sections of society during its rule and brought huge investments to the State.

She affirmed that while the Centre’s loan waiver scheme was likely to benefit only 2.5 lakh farmers in the State, her government had introduced the Bhamashah Yojana sanctioning Rs.1,500 each to 50 lakh families for opening their bank accounts.

Among other announcements, Ms. Raje said cement roads would be constructed in as many as 169 towns and stamp fee would be reduced to 5 per cent on registry of all kinds of land in the women’s name in both the urban and rural areas.

For all other registries, the stamp fee was increased from 6.5 per cent to 8 per cent.

The Chief Minister announced waiver of tuition fee for girls in all faculties in the Government schools and said the girls belonging to below poverty line (BPL) families would be given a cash prize of Rs.5,000 each on completing graduation. Besides, the credit-linked women’s self-help groups repaying loans on time will get free mobile phones.

Ms. Raje said the State Government would shortly enact a guaranteed title law after converting the urban land from leasehold to freehold to give an assured title to the land owners.

The State Government has also agreed in principle to reduce the tax on sandstone of Karauli and Dholpur to 4 per cent.

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50 per cent quota for women in Rajasthan urban local bodies

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