Pune: The Maharashtra government is set to launch its "Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana" scheme on August 17, 2024, at Balewadi Stadium.

However, controversy has arisen as the name of former Maharashtra Chief Minister and veteran MP, Sharad Pawar, has been conspicuously omitted from the event's official invitation.

Prashant Jagtap, City President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Pune, has lashed out at the Mahayuti government, accusing them of deliberately sidelining Pawar's legacy.

Jagtap highlighted that Sharad Pawar has been a pivotal figure in the history of women's empowerment in Maharashtra, and his contributions are indelible.

In a press statement issued on Friday (August 16), Prashant Jagtap has asserted that Sharad Pawar's key initiatives for women's empowerment include the establishment of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women in 1993, introducing a 33% reservation for women in local self-government bodies (which was later increased to 50%),

and the revolutionary decision to allow women into all branches of the armed forces with an 11% reservation during his tenure as Union Defense Minister.

He also implemented significant policies like equal inheritance rights for women and created self-help groups (SHGs) that empowered women economically.

Jagtap asserted that while the current government may attempt to erase Pawar's name from official documents, they cannot erase his monumental contributions to the cause of women's empowerment in Maharashtra.