Nagpur/Pune: The Maharashtra govt presented a supplementary budget of Rs 35,788 crore on the first day of the winter session in Nagpur on Monday, prioritising welfare schemes, infrastructure development, and public services. The proposal includes Rs 1,400 crore for Ladki Bahin Yojana, a flagship welfare initiative aimed at empowering women.
Industries minister Uday Samant detailed the allocation, categorising Rs 8,862.42 crore as mandatory expenditure, Rs 21,691.87 crore for programmatic schemes, and Rs 5,234.11 crore linked to Centrally-sponsored initiatives. The net fiscal burden on the state will amount to Rs 27,160.47 crore, considering financial aid from the Centre.
The Ladki Bahin Yojana received a reduced supplementary allocation as Rs 46,000 crore was already earmarked in the previous budget. Before elections, the govt promised to increase monthly benefits under this scheme to Rs 2,100 from Rs 1,500, a commitment reinforced by this allocation.
An official from the women and child development department, however, said the supplementary budget was mainly to cover administrative costs. “A portion of the money will also be used towards subsidy for anganwadi workers who helped in registering beneficiaries, while around Rs 100 crore will be spent on payout to beneficiaries. The increased amount of Rs 2,100 will be formally announced through a GR and a separate allocation will be made in the budget next year,” the official said.
Minister Aditi Tatkare said the Rs 2,100 instalment under Ladki Bahin will be finalised during the budget session in Feb -March.
Infrastructure development emerged as a focus, with the public works department receiving the lion’s share of Rs 7,490 crore. This includes Rs 3,195 crore under Centre’s special assistance scheme for capital expenditure on roads, bridges, and buildings. Another Rs 778.54 crore was allocated to Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur Metro projects, while Rs 400 crore was directed toward MSRDC’s share for Samruddhi expressway.
Agricultural welfare remained a priority, with Rs 3,050 crore granted for Mukhyamantri Baliraja Electricity Subsidy Scheme, which provides free electricity for agricultural pumps. This amount included Rs 2,750 crore for general use, Rs 180 crore for Scheduled Castes, and Rs 120 crore for Scheduled Tribes. The Baliraja Sanjivani Yojana for irrigation projects received Rs 386.45 crore to support distressed farmers.
Healthcare also received a boost with Rs 1,170 crore allotted for establishing govt medical colleges and hospitals in partnership with Asian Development Bank (ADB). Sugar cooperatives were granted Rs 1,204 crore for margin money loans, while Rs 1,250 crore was allocated to PM Awas Yojana under OBC welfare department.
To preserve cultural heritage, Rs 36.51 crore was sanctioned to rebuild the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan, Sindhudurg. The statue collapsed in August, sparking outrage.