Pune
At least 13 lakh more women are likely to benefit from the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Behan Yojana starting from December next month. Their applications, which required Aadhaar seeding from their bank accounts, were pending and they will be added to the 2.34 crore beneficiaries. The Mahayuti government’s landslide victory on Saturday is being widely credited to the scheme, which gives Rs 1,500 per month to women.
Sources said the alliance will not only have to add beneficiaries but also keep its promise of increasing the payment to Rs 2,100. Although Rs 35,000 crore has been earmarked as per the previous subsidy amount of Rs 1,500, the allocation will have to be increased if the Mahayuti government wants to keep its promise.
Most beneficiaries from Pune
The scheme was launched to woo women voters after failures in the Lok Sabha elections in May. This helped the ruling coalition create a new demographic of supporters, who contributed to its comeback. The maximum beneficiaries are from Pune district, followed by Nashik, Thane and Mumbai.
13 lakh applications were pending
Senior government officials said the pending applications would be resolved and the women should receive the amount by December. A senior government source said till November the distribution of settled applications of 2.34 crore beneficiaries had been completed. These 13 lakh applications were pending and will be added to the December numbers.
Name being added to the list of Ladli Bahin Yojana
The Women and Child Development Department (WCD) will have to prepare the paperwork to distribute the benefits. WCD officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they are working to add to the list and distribution for December will begin once the code of conduct is lifted.
Will Tatkare get the same portfolio?
WCD minister Aditi Tatkare, who won from Shrivardhan Assembly constituency by a margin of over one lakh votes against her rival Anil Navagane of NCP (SP), would like to continue in the same ministerial post. The grand alliance will form the government and announce its ministers, but sources said the Ladki Bahin scheme was one of the key projects that led to the alliance’s victory and its continuation may be kept in mind while appointing Tatkare.