Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly election that is scheduled later this year, Deputy Chief Minister and state finance minister Ajit Pawar on Friday laid out the state Budget announcing a host of sops, including the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme, a monetary assistance scheme for women in the state.
Under this scheme, eligible women in the age group 21 to 60 years will get a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500. An amount of Rs 46,000 crore will be made available every year for this scheme, which will be implemented from July, Pawar said.
With this, Maharashtra joined the list of states in India which has a similar monetary assistance scheme for women.
Here’s a list of all states that have similar welfare schemes:
Tamil Nadu: Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam
Introduced in September 2023 under the leadership of Chief Minister M K Stalin, the initiative offers a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to women aged 21 and above per household.
Eligibility requires the family’s annual income to be below Rs 2.5 lakh, ownership of less than 5 acres of irrigated land or 10 acres of non-irrigated land, and annual electricity consumption of less than 3,600 units.
Andhra Pradesh: Jagananna Ammavodi Scheme
This scheme, initiated by the former ruling government of the YSRCP led by ex-Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, provides Rs 15,000 per year to poor and needy mothers who belong to BPL families.
The present TDP government, which has stormed into power in this Assembly elections, has promised in its poll manifesto Rs 1,500 per month to all eligible women in the age group of 19-59 years.
Karnataka: Gruha Lakshmi
The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka in its poll manifesto promised Rs 2,000 every month to eligible women. The women need to belong to Antyodaya, BPL and APL families, and should be identified as the head of the family in documents.
Madhya Pradesh: Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana
Implemented during Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s tenure as Chief Minister and now a Union Minister, the scheme provides a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 to women aged 23-60, with conditions such as non-payment of income tax and a family annual income below Rs 2.5 lakh.
West Bengal: Lakshmi Bhandar Scheme
Mamata Banerjee launched the scheme after winning the 2021 Assembly elections. The scheme provides monthly assistance of Rs 500 to women in the general category and Rs 1,000 to those belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Eligibility extends to all women under the age of 60.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the TMC government in its budget increased the assistance under the scheme to Rs 1,000 a month for women in the general category and Rs 1,200 for SC/ST women.
Assam: Orunodoi Scheme
Through Orunodoi, introduced in the 2020-21 Budget, marginalized families in Assam receive a monthly assistance of Rs 830. Eligibility requires applicants to be permanent residents of Assam with a composite household income below Rs 2 lakh per annum. Priority is given to families with specially-abled members, as well as divorced, widowed, separated, or unmarried women.
Himachal Pradesh: Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana
Under this scheme, the Congress government promised Rs 1,500 per month to women aged between 18-60 years. The scheme is expected to cost the government more than Rs 800 crore, with five lakh women beneficiaries.
Telangana: Mahalakshmi scheme
Under this scheme, the Congress government ahead of the state polls promised financial assistance of Rs 2,500 to eligible women.
Apart from these states, in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in March unveiled the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana in its Budget for 2024-25. The initiative promises a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,000 to every woman aged 18 and above, with exceptions for taxpayers, recipients of government pension schemes, and government employees.