Maha, MP to verify beneficiaries of cash allowance schemes

NEW DELHI: Two Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, are considering verification of the list of beneficiaries of cash incentive schemes for women to weed out ineligible recipients and slash the burden on the exchequer, people aware of the details said on Tuesday.

The development came even as the party’s Delhi unit is banking on a clutch of promises, including cash allowances for women to swing the election in its favour. In both MP and Maharashtra, the state governments run the Ladli Behna Yojna and Mukhyamantri Mazhi Ladki Bahin Yojana that provide women of a certain age and annual family income a monthly cash allowance. With the schemes running into several crores and having added to the states’ financial burden, governments in both the states are considering verifying the eligibility of the recipients.

“The party’s commitment was to empower economically disadvantaged women. The scheme that was started in Madhya Pradesh and had a phenomenal impact on the ground was replicated in several other states as it gives women financial freedom. It has, however, come to our notice that since there are no documents provided to prove eligibility, some ineligible people have also been given the allowance,” a senior party functionary said.

While the functionary added that the state government is considering verification of payment details to identify and weed out ineligible names, he declined to comment on whether the money will be reclaimed from those who were paid but are ineligible.

The scheme was started by former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in May 2023 and provided ₹1,000 to women between the ages 23 and 60 years who have less than 5 acres of land or an annual income of less than ₹2.5 lakh. The amount has now been raised to ₹1,250 and just ahead of the state elections, the government had promised to increase it to ₹3,000 a month.

Last month, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav informed the assembly that there would be no increase in the allowance provided through Direct Benefit Transfer to about 1.29 crore women. The government spends about ₹1,575 crore for meeting the allowance disbursal.

In Maharashtra too, the government wants to plug the leaks. On Monday, deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar urged beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Mazhi Ladki Bahin Yojana scheme whose family income is above ₹2.5 lakh to voluntarily opt out of the scheme. Although the state government has announced that the scheme that has an outlay of ₹3,700 crore will not be discontinued, Pawar said the scheme that offers ₹1,500 every month was meant for economically disadvantaged women and not for those who fall in the income tax bracket.

Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC, however, was vehement that the scheme will not be discontinued. “It was a promise made to the women of Maharashtra by both the BJP and the Shiv Sena. The CM and the finance minister of the state will take measures to ensure this commitment is met and we will not break the trust of the women voters,” she said.

Even as party leaders in Delhi admitted that the allowances and sops add to the spending, a second senior leader said the BJP does not make announcements without understanding the intricacies of funding. “At no point do we cross 8% of the total budget for spending on schemes,” the second leader said.

While the BJP attacks its opponents for announcing sops and freebies, the party made promises to provide a cash incentive to women in Haryana and Odisha as well. In Odisha, CM Mohan Charan Majhi launched the Subhadra Yojana for 20 lakh women, which provides ₹10,000 yearly in two instalments of ₹5,000 each to women between 21 and 60 years of age with family income below ₹2.50 lakh annually.

Earlier this month the Supreme Court came down on the Union government for its stance on paying salaries and pensions to district judiciary judges, and said states have sufficient funds to provide freebies to people but claim financial constraints when it comes to judicial compensation. The SC made a specific reference to the Maharashtra government’s scheme.

This has not stopped the BJP from making promises in Delhi. In the run-up to the February 5 election, the BJP in Delhi has promised a monthly allowance of ₹2,500 for eligible women and financial assistance of ₹21,000 and six nutritional kits to pregnant women in addition to enhancing pension for widows from ₹2,500 to ₹3,000.

The poll promises in Delhi similar to the ones made in other states such as Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand are in line with the party’s outreach towards women, who have emerged as a crucial vote bank.

Political analyst Manisha Priyam said the trend of political parties announcing sops and cash incentives has put an additional burden on the exchequer but shows that there is support on the ground for such measures. “State governments are now announcing sops for women despite being hard pressed for finances. The states have limited means of earning, they make money from stamp duty from sale of land and sale of power as there is no buoyant source of revenue,” she said.