Over one crore women in Maharashtra to benefit from govt's 'Ladki Bahin' scheme: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said more than one crore eligible women in the state will start getting Rs 1,500 financial assistance per month under the government's 'Ladki Bahin' scheme after its launch on August 17, reported news agency PTI.

Speaking to reporters, he said some eligible women already received Rs 3,000 as the instalment for two months on Wednesday during the Ladki Bahin scheme's trial run.

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"The scheme is set to commence this Saturday. The state government expects that more than one crore eligible women will begin receiving Rs 1,500 per month," he said, reported PTI.

The state government initially announced the scheme's launch on August 17. However, it has now been clarified that July will be considered the starting month of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. Eligible women will receive an initial instalment of Rs 3,000 (for two months), he said, reported PTI.

The scheme was included in the supplementary budget of the Maharashtra government and is projected to incur an annual cost of Rs 46,000 crore to the state exchequer.

This is a flagship scheme of the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government on the lines of the 'Ladli Behna Yojana' in Madhya Pradesh introduced by the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led dispensation, reported PTI.

Assembly elections in Maharashtra are likely to be held in October or November.

The government, in which Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP are sharing power, is trying to project the financial assistance being provided under the Ladki Bahin scheme as the Raksha Bandhan gift to women.

Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated on Monday.

Meanwhile, with just a few days left for the official launch of the Maharashtra government's new 'Ladki Bahin' scheme, the Women and Child Development Department on Wednesday said it has succeeded in transferring Rs 3,000 in select bank accounts of beneficiaries on a trial basis covering the first two months.

Under the "Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana", underprivileged women aged 21 to 65 years will get Rs 1,500 per month as stipend from the state government. The scheme, announced in the state's June-end budget, will cost Rs 46,000 crore per year to the exchequer and is being launched a few months ahead of the assembly polls which are due in October.

"We have lived up to our words. We had promised that we would transfer Rs 3,000 (two months instalment) to women beneficiaries whose bank account details have been scrutinised," Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told reporters on Wednesday.

Shinde advised women to be wary of people who are criticising the Ladki Bahin scheme, which has been dubbed as a poll gimmick and financially unviable by opposition parties.

"It is my appeal to women that they should stay away from such stepbrothers who are critical of this scheme. They tried their best to create hurdles in implementation of the scheme. Opposition leaders even went to the Bombay High Court against the scheme. The HC turned down their demand, which was a major setback to our opposition leaders," the CM maintained.

(With inputs from PTI)