The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Maharashtra announces own ‘Ladli Bahin’ scheme, sops for OBCS, EWS
AHEAD OF the Assembly elections later this year, the Maharashtra Government announced a slew of populist measure in its Budget on Friday — from monthly allowances for women to stipends for unemployed youth; tuition fees for girls from OBC and EWS households to benefits for farmers; three free LPG cylinders per year for eligible families to tax cuts on fuel in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
In February, Deputy Chief Minister and State Finance Minister Ajit Pawar had presented an interim budget for 2024-25 in view of the Lok Sabha polls. On Friday, he presented the additional Budget with an outlay of Rs 6,12,293 crore, an estimated revenue deficit of Rs 20,051 crore and fiscal deficit of Rs 1,10,355 crore.
Announcing the 'Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana', Pawar said the government would transfer Rs 1,500 monthly into the bank accounts of “eligible” women in the age group of 21 and 60 years beginning July. The scheme is on the lines of the Madhya Pradesh government's Ladli Behena
Yojana. The estimated annual expenditure for the scheme is Rs 46,000 crore.
The government also proposed to offer three free LPG cylinders to some households annually under the 'Mukhya Mantri Annapurna Yojana', which is expected to benefit over 52 lakh families across the state.
In a major social engineering move, the government announced reimbursement of full tuition and examination fees for girls belonging to OBC (Other Backward Classes) and EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) households with annual family income up to Rs 8 lakh. This includes admission to professional degree/ diploma courses in engineering, architecture, pharmacy, medicine and agriculture.
The scheme, expected to benefit about 2.05 lakh girls, will start from the 2024-25 academic year and cost the state exchequer about Rs 2,000 crore annually.
For the unemployed youth, thegovernmentannouncedaskill training programme, Mukhya Mantri Yuva Karyaprashikshan Yojana, for 10 lakh interns who will get a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000. It has allocated Rs 10,000 crore for the scheme.
Pawar said the government would bear the burden of electricity bills of over 44.06 lakh farmers and provide free power to run agriculture pumps up to 7.5 horse power capacity. The government also announced a reduction in fuel prices in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, cutting petrol prices by 65 paise per litre, and diesel by Rs 2.07 per litre.
As announced by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde earlier this month, the Budget provided for a grant of Rs 20,000 to each 'Dindi', a procession of devotees who go to Pandharpur.
The announcements come weeks after the Lok Sabha election results, which saw a fall in the ruling alliance numbers, from 42 MPS in 2019 to 17 now.
While the state government has announced “ambitious new schemes for various sections of society”, Pawar said, “It has been decided to form a high-level committee to evaluate the schemes and to rationalise them so that the benefits reach the eligible beneficiaries directly”.
Criticising this move, Opp os it ionncp( sp) leader jay ant Patil said: “The government itself is not confident about the Budget. Hence, it will rationalise schemes through a committee. It shows the schemes were announced for elections only.”