Raipur ends BJP’s tribal shoe project, Charan Paduka Yojana

After Centre’s flagship programme Ayushman Bharat, the Congress government in Chhattisgarh has brought down the curtain on previous BJP government’s 14-year-old welfare scheme, Charan Paduka Yojana, which provided footwear to tribals collecting tendu patta (leaves).
The newly formed Bhupesh Baghel government has decided to stop Charan Paduka Yojana and would now directly transfer money into the accounts of eligible beneficiaries. The yojana was started in 2005 and entitled one male member of a tendu patta collecting family for free footwear every year. In 2008, this was extended to women members of the family. Raman Singh government kept the scheme in sync with times and in 2013 women were eligible for sandals instead of shoes. A Chhattisgarh government spokesperson told ET: “It has been decided to phase out this scheme. The government would not distribute any footwear to tribals this year onwards.

It has been decided that government would instead do direct benefit transfer to eligible beneficiaries.” The government is in the process of deciding the exact amount to be transferred to tribals.

This is the second scheme of BJP government that Baghel government has decided to stop. As first reported by ET on January 16, the government had decided to withdraw from Ayushman Bharat or Modicare, the Centre’s universal healthcare scheme.

In the current session of Chhattisgarh Assembly, irked BJP MLAs have raised several questions on the fate of the scheme.