Madhya Pradesh To Hike Ladli Behna Payout, Opposition Flags Towering Debt
Bhopal:
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav has announced that the monthly financial assistance for women under the Ladli Behna scheme will be increased to Rs 1,500 from Diwali, which is in October. Currently, around 1.27 crore women beneficiaries receive Rs 1,250 per month. The move is being seen as a continuation of the BJP's flagship welfare initiative launched ahead of the 2023 state elections.
Speaking to the media, Dr Yadav said, "The announcement in our Sankalp Patra is of Rs 3,000. We made it with full confidence and will fulfill it. The scheme began with Rs 1,000, then we increased it to Rs 1,250. From Diwali, it will be Rs 1,500."
The hike will place an additional burden of Rs 310 crore on the state exchequer every month, pushing the annual cost of the scheme beyond Rs 22,000 crore.
When the scheme was launched in 2023, 1.29 crore women were enrolled. The number rose slightly to 1.31 crore in October 2023 but has now come down to 1.27 crore. The government has admitted in the state Assembly that while new names are currently not being added, existing names are being removed based on age and other eligibility criteria.
BJP MLA Bhagwan Das Sabnani defended the move, saying, "The Chief Minister is committed to empowering women. The Congress earlier mocked the scheme, but now they are afraid because the government is consistently fulfilling its promises."
Congress leader Shailendra Patel criticised the financial viability of the scheme, stating, "The economic condition of Madhya Pradesh is deteriorating. No one knows how much more they will borrow. The state is practically being run on God's mercy."
Rising Debt Poses Fiscal Challenges
The state budget for 2025-26 stands at Rs 4.21 lakh crore. However, the government has already borrowed Rs 9,500 crore this financial year, taking the total outstanding debt to approximately Rs 4.31 lakh crore. This marks a 115 per cent increase in the state's debt over the last five years. In 2019, the total debt stood around Rs 2 lakh crore.
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