Maharashtra 'Ladki Bahin' scheme: 1 cr petitions reviewed, only 7,000 rejected

Eknath Shinde/ File Photo

According to Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam, the Maharashtra government has reviewed one crore applications for the Mukhya Mantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, which supports women from low-income backgrounds, with only 7,000 applications rejected.

Nirupam indicated that 1.50 crore applications were submitted electronically, combined with about one crore offline applications, for a total of 2.5 crore submissions to the Mukhya Mantri Ladki Bahin Yojana. He stated that the review of one crore applications revealed a low rejection rate, reported PTI.

According to the agency report, the deadline for application submissions is August 31, and Nirupam expects the number of actual beneficiaries to exceed 3.5 crore by that date.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam was quoted in the PTI report as saying, "As many as 1.50 crore forms were filled online, while the number of offline applications is around one crore. So far, 2.5 crore applications for the scheme have been received."

However, opposition parties have expressed reservations about the Mukhya Mantri Ladki Bahin scheme's financial viability, claiming that it could put a considerable strain on the state's coffers. The yearly budget for the initiative, which was announced in late June, is projected to be Rs 46,000 crore, the report added.

According to the report, under the initiative, women aged 21 to 65 who are married, divorced, or destitute will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 if their family's yearly income does not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh. The plan, which was launched ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections in October, has sparked tremendous interest among eligible women across the state.

Petition against Maharashtra 'ladki bahin' scheme

A chartered accountant in the city has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court against the Maharashtra government's 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana', a cash benefit scheme for women. The accountant claims that the scheme will increase the burden on taxpayers.

An earlier report stated that the petitioner sought to overturn the Government Resolution dated July 9 that established the plan, under which a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 would be put into the bank accounts of women aged 21 to 65 whose household income was less than Rs 2.5 lakh.

The initiative was introduced in the state budget.