Maharashtra: 8 lakh Ladki Bahins to get ₹500 instead of ₹1500 under the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, here is why

Maharashtra Women and Child Minister Aditi Tatkare on Tuesday (15th April) cleared the air about the recent controversy regarding the financial benefits provided to women under the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. The Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government had recently announced that certain beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme will receive ₹500 instead of ₹1500. The opposition terms the scheme a political move After the announcement, the opposition targeted the state government, calling the scheme a political move to lure the women voters during the elections. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut took a jibe at the Maharashtra government and said that the value of the votes of the women beneficiaries had reduced for the government, and that is the reason the government reduced the cash benefits. Congress leader Nana Patole also accused the state government of betraying the women in Maharashtra. The government says no reduction in financial benefits under the scheme Speaking in the state assembly, Aditi Tatkare addressed the allegations regarding the scheme. She said that there has been no reduction in the financial support under the scheme. However, around 7.74 lakh women who already receive ₹1,000 per month from the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi scheme will be getting ₹500 under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme. She said that the scheme assures the maximum monthly financial support of ₹1500 to eligible women. Thus, if any woman is receiving financial support less than ₹1500 under any other scheme, then the rest of the amount up to the upper limit of 1,500 will be provided under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme. दिनांक २८ जून २०२४ व दिनांक ३ जुलै २०२४ रोजी जाहीर करण्यात आलेल्या शासन निर्णयानुसार इतर कोणत्याही शासकीय योजनांचा लाभ न घेणाऱ्या महिलांना मुख्यमंत्री माझी लाडकी बहीण योजनेअंतर्गत १५०० रुपये दरमहा सन्मान निधी वितरित करण्यात येत आहे. तसेच, इतर शासकीय योजनांचा १५०० रुपयांपेक्षा कमी… pic.twitter.com/485UFXrRiq— Aditi S Tatkare (@iAditiTatkare) April 15, 2025 The Maharashtra government on Wednesday (16th April) also clarified that no women have been excluded from the scheme and the financial assistance remains unchanged after July 3, 2024. Assuring that no changes in the financial assistance provided under the scheme have been made, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said, “The budgetary allocation for the implementation of the scheme has been made and there is no question of scrapping it.” Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme The Mahayuti’s flagship scheme is aimed at providing the maximum monthly financial assistance of ₹1500 to all eligible women in Maharashtra. The eligibility criteria under the scheme include domicile of Maharashtra, annual family income of less than 2.5 lakh per annum, and age between 18 years to 65 years. The grounds of disqualification under the scheme include ownership of a four-wheeler and a government employment of any family member. The number of beneficiaries under the scheme stood at 2.60 crore before the 2024 state assembly elections. After the elections, the state government re-evaluated the number of beneficiaries under the scheme based on the eligibility criteria. Now, the number of beneficiaries under the scheme is 2.42 crore.