The Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan, which completed four years in office on Wednesday, said that welfare of the poor remains its highest priority and outlined the development schemes it has rolled out.

According to a press release issued by the Chief Minister’s office, “The emphasis of the State Government remains in formulating effective policies for those in need. It also highlights the reduction in poverty which has been reported in Rajasthan since the Vasundhara Raje Government took over in December 2013.”

The reasons attributed for it are increased spending on the rural welfare and development programmes. Financial experts have attributed this outcome to a substantial expenditure on the flagship programmes during the last four years’ period, the release said.

The officials were directed to ensure an effective delivery of services for poverty alleviation, financial inclusion and direct benefit transfer.

The flagship schemes such as Bhamashah Yojana for direct benefit transfer, Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavalamban Abhiyan, Bhamashah health insurance scheme, Grameen Gaurav Path Yojana, Shahari Gaurav Path Yojana, Mukhya Manatri Rajshri Yojana for the girl child, Nyay Aapke Dwar, Annapurna Bandar Yojana, etc have been given the credit for bringing in effective and equitable distribution of benefits of public welfare measures and for empowering women in the state.

According to the release, “About 1.48 crore families and 5.47 crore individuals have been registered in Bhamashah Yojana till November 15, 2017. The Bhamashah Yojana has bagged coveted prizes such as national e-governance gold medal 2015-16, Make in India Award of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and e-governance initiative of the year prize of the Third Digital India Summit-2017.”

The State Government’s Cooperative Department, which plays an important role in the lives of farmers and rural populace, has gone from strength to strength during the last four years, the press note said.

Rajasthan has also been awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar for 2017 by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development in recognition of improvement in the child sex ratio.