2.52 crore women will get Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’s installment on March 8: Minister

Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister confirms no changes to Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana eligibility criteria.

The Maharashtra government has not made any changes to the eligibility criteria for the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, and 2.52 crore eligible women will get pending instalments for January and February by March 8, Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said. She was answering a calling attention motion in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Wednesday. Replying to an opposition question on the poll promise to increase payment from ₹1,500 to ₹2,100, she said implementation will happen after the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Ministers take a call.

“Eligibility and ineligibility of the beneficiaries have been decided as per the terms and conditions of this scheme. The applications are being scrutinised according to the same criteria. Scrutinisation of applications in any scheme is a continuous process. Accordingly, it has been decided not to pay the financial benefit of this scheme to the beneficiary women who do not fulfill the criteria. Action is being taken accordingly. 2 crore 63 lakh women had applied under this scheme, out of which 2 crore 52 lakh women are currently eligible,” Ms. Tatkare said.

Answering Congress leader Satej Bunty Patil’s question on increasing the instalment from ₹1,500 to ₹2,100, she said that the election manifesto is applicable for five years and that the government had not promised disbursement in the first budget. “You started the scheme with a political aim in front of you. So many GRs were issued by the government before the election,” Satej Patil said. Responding, Ms. Tatkare said, “As a department, we will keep a proposal in front of the government once the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Ministers take a call on it.”

She refuted allegations about the scheme, adding that the eligibility criteria had not been changed.

“This scheme is applicable to women from 21 to 65. So every month, those women who complete 65 are declared ineligible. Due to this, the number of beneficiaries changes regularly. Currently, about 120,000 women have been excluded from the scheme after exceeding the age limit. Similarly, women who have settled in other states after marriage are also not considered under the scheme. About 2.5 crore women in the state are getting the benefit of this scheme, and a positive change has taken place in the lives of women. For this, the government is being congratulated by women,” Ms. Tatkare said.

The issue was raised by several opposition leaders including Anil Parab, Satej Bunty Patil, Bhai Jagtap, and Shashikant Shinde.