Akola | The Maharashtra government will deposit on August 17 the ‘Ladki Bahin’ instalments for July and this month in the beneficiaries’ accounts, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday.

The newly introduced scheme is getting a huge response in the state and 1.5 crore women have registered for it so far, he said during an address at a meeting of BJP workers in Akola.

Under the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme, married, divorced, and destitute women aged 21-60 will receive Rs 1,500 per month, with the annual family income of beneficiaries capped at Rs 2.5 lakh.

He said that the instalments for July and August will be credited to the beneficiaries’ accounts on August 17.

According to the deputy CM, the government is working towards providing apprenticeships to one million (10 lakh) unemployed youths in the state for six months under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Karyaprashikshan Yojana’.

Fadnavis said the government has generated 12,000 megawatts of solar energy in the past one and a half years. As there will be no financial burden on the government due to solar energy, farmers will be provided free electricity, he added.

In the state budget presented in June, a few months ahead of the assembly elections, the Maharashtra government announced a slew of populist measures for women, unemployed youths, farmers and households.