In Maharashtra, a program called the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ helps many women by giving them monthly money. This program has already given support to about 2.5 crore women, which helped the ruling political alliance in winning the elections in November 2024.
The program gives married, divorced, widowed, or destitute women between the ages of 21 to 65 a monthly aid of Rs 1,500 if their family earns less than Rs 2,50,000 a year. Unmarried women can also receive this aid, with one unmarried woman allowed per family.
According to officials, most beneficiaries—83%—are married women. Unmarried women make up 11.8%, while widows represent 4.7%. Women who are divorced, deserted, or in tough situations make up less than 1%.
The majority of the women who benefit fall in the age group of 30-39 years (29%), followed by those aged 21-29 (25.5%) and 40-49 (23.6%). Only a small number (5%) of beneficiaries are between 60 and 65 years old.
The districts with the most applicants for the scheme are Pune, Nashik, and Ahmednagar, while Sindhudurg and Gadchiroli have the least. The program was started in July last year.
Before the elections, the ruling alliance promised to increase the monthly aid to Rs 2,100. Since taking power, the new government is reviewing the list of beneficiaries, and so far, they’ve removed about five lakh women who no longer qualify. They plan to check more and might cut around 15 lakh women from the program. Women who own cars, work for the government, or receive more than Rs 1,500 from other programs cannot get this aid.
When it started, the program was expected to cost the government Rs 46,000 crore a year and has faced some issues related to dishonesty and political tricks.
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