Bhopal, Feb 23 The opposition Congress on Monday targeted the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government over the Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana, alleging that there is “no proposal” to register new beneficiaries or enhance the financial assistance under the scheme.
The attack followed a written reply tabled in the Assembly by Women and Child Development Minister Nirmala Bhuria in response to queries raised during the ongoing budget session. Congress MLAs Satish Sikarwar (Gwalior East) and Mahesh Parmar (Tarana) had sought to know whether the government had proposed fresh registrations under the scheme in the supplementary budget presented last week, whether there was any move to reduce the minimum eligibility age from 21 to 18, and whether the monthly assistance would be increased.
In her written reply, Bhuria stated that there is no proposal under consideration for fresh registrations under the Ladli Behna Yojana, nor is there any proposal to increase the monthly assistance from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000.
Reacting to the reply, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar accused the BJP of going back on its promise. “The BJP had promised to raise the monthly assistance to Rs 3,000. However, the government has now stated that there is no provision to increase the amount in the supplementary budget,” he said.
Singhar added that while Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has maintained that the government is committed to increasing the amount in a phased manner, the opposition remains dissatisfied. “The written reply clearly mentions that there is no provision to enhance the amount in the supplementary budget,” he told reporters at the Assembly.
The Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana was launched ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections with a monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 for eligible women. The minimum age for beneficiaries was initially 23 years, later reduced to 21, with the upper age limit fixed at 60 years, subject to other eligibility conditions, including family income criteria.
The government had earlier announced that the assistance would be gradually increased to Rs 1,250, Rs 1,500, Rs 1,750, Rs 2,000, Rs 2,250, Rs 2,500, and Rs 2,750 in phases.
Currently, more than 1.25 crore women are receiving Rs 1,500 per month under the scheme. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has earlier stated that the assistance would be raised to Rs 3,000 per month before 2028.
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