1 / 12Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured that the Ladki Bahin Scheme will continue for the next five years and that the current monthly honorarium of ₹1,500 will be increased at the appropriate time.2 / 12Some individuals have misused the scheme by making fraudulent entries. Their honorarium will be stopped. A few “clever” brothers, instead of uploading their own photos, uploaded pictures of motorcycles to avoid identification. Subsidies for such infiltrators have now been discontinued. District Collectors have been instructed to verify each applicant. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also clarified that injustice faced by eligible sisters, who were wrongfully excluded, will be rectified.3 / 12The Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme, which proved to be a gamechanger for the Mahayuti alliance, has been in the spotlight since its inception. After the results of the previous Lok Sabha elections, the Mahayuti government announced the Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme and also focused on its effective implementation. This resulted in a historic victory for the Mahayuti in the Assembly elections. However, following this, a review of the scheme led to the removal of lakhs of ineligible women beneficiaries.4 / 12However, discussions have now begun on whether the craze for the Ladki Bahin Scheme has faded. The reason cited is the claim that not a single new application has been submitted for the scheme in the past five months. This has sparked speculation that women in the state may have turned their backs on the scheme.5 / 12Under the ‘Chief Minister Ladki Bahin’ scheme—which played a key role in bringing the Mahayuti to power in the Assembly elections—not a single new application has been received in the past five months. It is also reported that the highest number of beneficiaries under this scheme are from Pune district.6 / 12Some individuals sought information from the State’s Women and Child Development Department regarding the current status of the Ladki Bahin Scheme and the number of beneficiaries. As per the details received, it was found that not a single new application has been submitted in the past five months.7 / 12The current status of the Ladki Bahin Scheme is as follows: eligible women – 1,59,56,967; applications submitted in the past five months – zero. Pune district has the highest number of eligible beneficiaries, while it is reported that a large proportion of the beneficiaries are women over the age of 65.8 / 12Ruling party MLAs are said to privately admit that the Ladki Bahin Scheme is putting a strain on the state’s treasury. Due to this financial burden, there is also speculation that the government has been holding back funds for several other projects in the MLAs’ constituencies.9 / 12Against this backdrop, discussions have emerged over whether not a single woman has applied for the scheme in the past five months. The absence of new applications has also sparked speculation that the government may be considering gradually scaling down the scope of the scheme.10 / 12Meanwhile, it is learned that the verification process for the Ladki Bahin Scheme is being put on hold in view of the upcoming municipal and local body elections. According to the information received, the government had decided to review the list of beneficiaries under the ‘Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme’ with the aim of reducing the number of recipients.11 / 12Government has halted the entire process in view of the upcoming local body elections. Considering the forthcoming municipal corporation, municipal council, nagar parishad, zilla parishad, and panchayat samiti elections, the process will remain unchanged. All women who have registered will continue to receive the benefits until the elections are over. After the elections, the government is likely to take steps regarding the verification process.12 / 12Launched in July last year, the Ladki Bahin Scheme received a total of 2.63 crore applications from across the state. After verification, the scheme initially benefitted 2.34 crore women. Later, this number settled at 2.47 crore beneficiaries, a figure that has remained unchanged for the past three months. The scheme places an annual burden of ₹50,000 crore on the state treasury.