The Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana provides Rs 1,500/month to underprivileged women, with 44 lakh applications so far. Costs Rs 46,000 crore/year, aiding Mahayuti’s election strategy. Deadline is Aug 31, with 1 crore applications expected

MUMBAI: The state govt has received 44 lakh online applications in the last two weeks for the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana which aims to provide a stipend of Rs 1,500 per month for underprivileged women between the ages of 21 and 65 years in the state.
The scheme was introduced on July 1 and the deadline for applications is Aug 31. It was announced in the last budget of the Mahayuti govt before the assembly polls expected in October.The Mahayuti is banking heavily on the scheme, which is estimated to cost Rs 46,000 crore per year.
“So far we have received 44 lakh online applications despite the monsoon. Beyond this, there are also offline applications,” said state women and child welfare secretary Anup Kumar Yadav.

There are concerns raised about corruption and technical issues with the application process.

The state govt estimates that applications will swell to around 1 crore by the Aug 31 deadline. The eligible beneficiaries will be identified after scrutiny.
Activists alleged local villagers and agents are making women pay to fill their application forms even though the government has said no money will be charged to apply. “As with many other forms which are required to be filled by people who are uneducated, a local villager or agent steps in and demands a fee. We have heard people are charging between Rs 200-400 to fill these forms,” said Ulka Mahajan from Sarvahara Jan Andolan, based in Raigad.
Anganwadi workers said they are struggling to fill the online applications because the app provided for the scheme is unreliable. “It sometimes takes an entire day to upload the form. I have filled around 200 offline forms,” said Sangita Kamble, an anganwadi worker from Trombay.
Also, while anganwadi workers are being paid Rs 50 per form, unions said the money will only be given if the applicant is declared eligible and receives the money. “This is unfair. If the anganwadi worker fills 100 forms and only half are declared eligible, why shouldn’t she be paid for the rest of her work,” said Shubha Shamim of the anganwadi workers union.
The Ladki Bahin scheme is patterned on Madhya Pradesh govt’s Ladli Behna Yojana which helped BJP retain power in the state. The Ladki Bahin Yojana provides a stipend of Rs 1,500 a month for married, divorced, widowed, deserted and destitute women whose annual family income is below Rs 2.5 lakh. One eligible unmarried woman from each family will also be considered for the scheme.
Meanwhile, Dy CM Ajit Pawar said the first instalment of the scheme will be released on Rakshabandhan.