Rs 10,000 fixed deposit in the name of newborn girls; an innovative scheme for the holistic development of girls

Major decision by Shri Siddhivinayak Temple Trust, Mumbai

Mumbai – The ‘Shri Siddhivinayak Bhagyalakshmi Yojana’ is being implemented by the Shri Siddhivinayak Temple Trust and has been approved by the ‘Nyas’ management committee. The scheme proposes to deposit Rs 10,000 in the form of a fixed deposit in the bank account of the mother of a girl child born in a Government hospital in Maharashtra. The eligibility criteria for the scheme will be announced after obtaining Government approval, according to the Siddhivinayak Trust.

🚨 Mumbai: Siddhivinayak Temple to give ₹10,000 for newborn girls!

Understand the dangers of Government control over temples!

Devotees’ donations should be used for temple development & worshippers' welfare, not state-run schemes! Why should temples fund expenses meant for the… pic.twitter.com/owfMnXYRSi

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) April 2, 2025

1. The initiative has been launched by the Shri Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple to support objectives such as encouraging the birth of girl children in the State, providing financial assistance for their education, and empowering them.

2. A meeting of the trustee committee of the Shri Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple Trust was held on 31stMarch under the chairmanship of the trust’s President, Sadanand Sarvankar.

3. During this meeting, the annual report for 2024–25 and the budget estimates for 2025–26 were presented. The trust’s expected revenue for 2024–25 was Rs 114 crore, but it has reached a record Rs 133 crore, marking a 15% increase compared to the previous year.

4. The projected revenue for the next financial year is now estimated at Rs 154 crore. In the trust’s budget, a proposal to implement the ‘Shri Siddhivinayak Bhagyalakshmi Yojana’ for the holistic development of girl children born on 8thMarch, International Women’s Day, in Government hospitals across Maharashtra was announced in the presence of President Sadanand Sarvankar, subject to Government approval.

Editorial Perspectives

• Understand the consequences of Government takeover of temples. Due to Governmental control, devotees’ donations intended for the devotees and temple development are instead being used for State-run schemes, which is a concerning issue.

• Such schemes could also be availed by minorities for their daughters. Hence, devotees must strongly oppose such initiatives and be prepared to stop the scheme and fight against Government takeover of temples.