Maharashtra elections 2024: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Thursday criticised the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for their plan to provide a monthly aid of Rs 3,000 to women, dismissing it as a ‘bluff’. Ajit Pawar pointed out that when the Mahayuti alliance proposed a comparable scheme in the past, it was met with skepticism by opposition parties.
The Ladki Bahin Yojana initiated by the Maharashtra state government aims to provide benefits to the female residents of the state. This program is designed to enhance women’s empowerment by offering financial assistance to eligible recipients. Successful applicants will receive a direct transfer of Rs 1,500 to their bank account to support their financial needs.
During the lead-up to the Maharashtra elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced an increase in monthly aid from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 for eligible women with an annual family income below Rs 2.5 lakh.
On Thursday, Ajit Pawar criticised the proposed schemes, labeling them as a “bluff”. He highlighted the potential financial implications of the schemes, stating that providing Rs 3,000 per month to women could result in an expenditure of Rs 90,000 crore, and giving Rs 4,000 per month to unemployed youth could cost around Rs 45,000 crore if one lakh youth benefit.
He raised concerns about the feasibility of implementing these schemes, pointing out that a total of Rs 1.5 lakh crore would be required, whereas the state budget is only Rs 7 lakh crore. He questioned how the government plans to manage salaries, pensions, and interest on loans with such a significant portion of the budget allocated to these schemes.
“This amount annually goes up to Rs 45,000 crore. Besides, we have announced a farm loan waiver and free education. The entire expenditure goes to Rs 75,000 crore. On the other the hand, the MVA has promised Rs 3,000 per month to women, which means the annual expenditure will be Rs 90,000 crore. They have also announced a farm loan waiver and schemes… If such a huge budgetary amount is going to be spent on such doles, what will remain for development work? It seems they want to spend the entire Rs 7 lakh crore budget on doles,” he said.
Ajit Pawar said the MVA had gone all out to stall the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. “They criticised us for implementing the Ladki Bahin Yojana and then they went to court to stall the scheme. Now they themselves are promising a big amount,” he said.
Ajit Pawar also mentioned the RBI’s reservations about these schemes initiated by the state government, citing that the central bank evaluates the state’s financial situation from its own standpoint.
“It is their opinion as they view the state’s finances from their perspective. We are public representatives, and while running a pro-people government, we have to take along the marginalised people,” he said.
In addition to increasing the monthly financial assistance of the Ladki Bahin scheme, the ruling Mahayuti alliance has also pledged to raise the annual amount of the Shetkari Sanman Nidhi scheme from Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000.
Among the party’s other commitments are the promise to generate 2.5 million employment opportunities and provide monthly stipends of Rs 10,000 to one million students through training programs. Additionally, the NCP vows to increase the monthly salary of Anganwadi and ASHA workers to Rs 15,000, reduce electricity bills by 30%, and prioritize the use of solar and renewable energy sources.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is participating in the upcoming November 20 assembly elections as part of the Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On the other hand, the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance is led by Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), along with Congress and NCP (SP) under the leadership of Sharad Pawar.