Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar surprised many on Monday by stating that he never committed to raising the payout for the Ladki Bahin Scheme from ₹1,500 to ₹2,100. This announcement came shortly after he presented his eleventh budget as the state's Finance Minister for 2025-26.
While Pawar did acknowledge that such a promise was included in the manifestos of the parties that make up the ruling Mahayuti coalition, he pointed to the state's financial situation as the reason for not increasing the payout. Nevertheless, a substantial allocation of ₹36,000 crore has been set aside for this popular scheme, which played a significant role in helping Mahayuti secure victory last November.
Before Ajit Pawar began his budget speech on Monday afternoon, there was a lot of speculation in the corridors of Vidhan Bhavan about the future of the Ladki Bahin Yojana and whether women would indeed receive the promised ₹2,100 per month. Opposition figures, including Uddhav Thackeray, challenged the government to keep its word. Ultimately, the predictions of financial experts came true, as the Ladki Bahin Yojana continued, but without any increase in the payout.
Ajit Pawar has put forward a budget of ₹7.20 lakh crore. According to his presentation, the state's revenue deficit is ₹45,892 crore, while the fiscal deficit amounts to ₹1,36,234 crore. Pawar noted that the income for the previous financial year reached ₹5.60 lakh crore, with expenditures totaling ₹6.06 lakh crore.
A significant allocation of ₹500 crore has been set aside for implementing AI technology in agriculture. Additionally, funds have been designated for completing irrigation projects and increasing the area of irrigated land. A river-linking initiative valued at ₹88,574 crore has been introduced to support farmers across six districts.
Furthermore, a new industrial policy has been unveiled, focusing on transforming the Mumbai Metropolitan Region into a growth center and planning the construction of a new airport in Vadhvan, located in the Palghar district. Pawar stated that the government's goal is to elevate Maharashtra to a $1.5 trillion economy by 2047, with expectations of attracting ₹40 lakh crore in investments, which could create 50 lakh jobs.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)