The objective of the Golden Handshake scheme was option 4: to reduce the burden of overstaffing in public enterprises. This suggests that public enterprises were facing a situation where they had more employees than they needed, leading to inefficiencies and higher costs.

A golden handshake is a financial incentive offered by employers to employees as an encouragement for them to voluntarily resign or retire early. It typically includes a lump sum payment or other financial benefits. In the context of the Golden Handshake scheme, the objective was to incentivize employees working in public enterprises to leave their positions voluntarily.

By offering attractive financial incentives, the scheme aimed to reduce the number of staff in public enterprises, thereby reducing overstaffing. This reduction in personnel would help to streamline operations, improve efficiencies, and decrease the financial burden on these enterprises.

It`s important to note that the other options mentioned are not the objectives of the Golden Handshake scheme. Option 1 refers to stabilizing gold prices, which is unrelated to the scheme. Option 2 mentions improving labor-management relations, which could be a separate objective but not specifically related to the Golden Handshake scheme. Option 3 talks about closing sick industrial units, which is a different objective altogether.