Madhya Pradesh To Hike Ladli Behna Payout, Opposition Flags Towering Debt
Bhopal:
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav has announced that the monthly financial assistance for women under the Ladli Behna scheme will be increased to Rs 1,500 from Diwali, which is in October. Currently, around 1.27 crore women beneficiaries receive Rs 1,250 per month. The move is being seen as a continuation of the BJP's flagship welfare initiative launched ahead of the 2023 state elections.
Speaking to the media, Dr Yadav said, "The announcement in our Sankalp Patra is of Rs 3,000. We made it with full confidence and will fulfill it. The scheme began with Rs 1,000, then we increased it to Rs 1,250. From Diwali, it will be Rs 1,500."
The hike will place an additional burden of Rs 310 crore on the state exchequer every month, pushing the annual cost of the scheme beyond Rs 22,000 crore.
When the scheme was launched in 2023, 1.29 crore women were enrolled. The number rose slightly to 1.31 crore in October 2023 but has now come down to 1.27 crore. The government has admitted in the state Assembly that while new names are currently not being added, existing names are being removed based on age and other eligibility criteria.
BJP MLA Bhagwan Das Sabnani defended the move, saying, "The Chief Minister is committed to empowering women. The Congress earlier mocked the scheme, but now they are afraid because the government is consistently fulfilling its promises."
Congress leader Shailendra Patel criticised the financial viability of the scheme, stating, "The economic condition of Madhya Pradesh is deteriorating. No one knows how much more they will borrow. The state is practically being run on God's mercy."
Rising Debt Poses Fiscal Challenges
The state budget for 2025-26 stands at Rs 4.21 lakh crore. However, the government has already borrowed Rs 9,500 crore this financial year, taking the total outstanding debt to approximately Rs 4.31 lakh crore. This marks a 115 per cent increase in the state's debt over the last five years. In 2019, the total debt stood around Rs 2 lakh crore.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Hoteliers urge state govt to address issues to boost tourism sector
Bhubaneswar: Members of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) on Saturday urged the govt to address challenges facing the tourism sector, including lack of land and infrastructure, to help the state become the 7th most popular destination for tourists by 2027. "The lack of proper infrastructure and land availability is severely hampering tourism development in Odisha. We are ready to invest, but there's a visible gap in demand and supply," said Milind Gupta, secretary general of HRAO, ahead of the 6th Odisha Tourism Conclave scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar on June 25. He added that the Tourism Policy 2022 did not yield results, and fresh proposals, such as simplifying approval processes and categorising tourism under the special economic zone (SEZ) framework, single-window clearance, and providing capital and interest subsidies for investors, have been submitted to the govt. HRAO members stated that Odisha remains among the states with the least number of hotel rooms, with just 16 classified hotels and 1,055 rooms available till 2023. However, a total of 97.25 lakh domestic and 0.45 lakh international tourists visited the state in 2023, as per the India Tourism Statistics Report 2024. "There was growth in the tourism sector, though the pace is slow. To increase the pace, there is a need for a policy overhaul. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo We have high hopes from the govt that they will consider our proposals and include them in the new tourism policy," said Debashis Patnaik, another HRAO member. "The govt identified land banks in 15 places across the state," he added. The conclave will bring together travel experts, investors, and industry leaders to discuss ways to boost infrastructure, attract investment and promote international tourism. According to HRAO, despite its rich cultural and natural heritage, including Asia's largest lagoon, Chilika, and a 480-km coastline, Odisha has been losing over Rs 9,000 crore annually in foreign exchange due to outbound Indian tourism. HRAO emphasised the need to capitalise on the momentum by investing in manpower training and integrating tourism-focused education from the school level.
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
HC directs ADM to dispose of 2016 case against company within 1 month
Cuttack: Orissa high court has pulled up the additional district magistrate-cum-adjudicating authority, Cuttack, for inordinate delay of over nine years in adjudicating a case against a company over alleged food safety violations. Justice S K Panigrahi, hearing the company's petition, termed the prolonged pendency of the 2016 case as an "abuse of process" and ordered its final disposal within one month. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the ADM for the delay, directing payment to the company within four weeks. The proceedings stemmed from a 2015 report by the food safety officer, following seizure of samples from the company's depot in Cuttack. The report raised concerns over the presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG), prompting initiation of adjudication proceedings. However, the petitioner argued that the continued proceedings were arbitrary and violated the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ( FSSAI ) order dated March 31, 2016. FSSAI had clarified that glutamate occurs naturally in several food items, and current analytical methods cannot conclusively distinguish between naturally occurring and added MSG. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Move-In Ready Homes Available – Act Fast! Home Deals Near You Undo Enforcement, it added, should only proceed when a product explicitly claims 'no MSG' or 'no added MSG' and MSG is later detected. Despite the company filing representations in 2016 and again in 2018 seeking dismissal of the case, the ADM failed to pass any order. Justice Panigrahi, expressing concern, said, "This court is at a loss to understand how such an extraordinary delay has occurred, and more alarmingly, how it continued unchecked." He noted that the delay reflects "a disturbing disregard for procedural discipline" and that prescribed legal timelines are not mere formalities but essential for justice. The court further stated that such delays erode the credibility of regulatory frameworks and highlighted the importance of adhering to statutory timelines under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Justice S K Panigrahi directed the ADM to finally hear and dispose of the matter within one month stating, "Legal proceedings cannot be allowed to linger in perpetuity."
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
Uddhav Thakeray holds dinner meet with Sena UBT MPs, MLAs to discuss preparations for Mumbai civic polls
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray engaged in dinner diplomacy with all his MPs and MLAs from Mumbai late on Friday and asked them to hit the ground running for the BMC polls. With the BMC elections , slated for Oct-Nov, Uddhav asked all his MPs and MLAs from Mumbai to devote time to the party and take up people's issues with various authorities. All were asked to pay special attention to party activities. The Sena (UBT) has three Lok Sabha MPs from Mumbai and 10 MLAs. The dinner meeting was held at Bandra's Taj Lands End Hotel. Party functionaries said that with the monsoon sessions of Parliament and the state legislature starting soon, Uddhav told MPs and MLAs to take an aggressive stand against the BJP-led ruling coalitions at the centre and in the state. "Uddhavji asked all MPs and MLAs from Mumbai to take up issues and also take officials to task for failing to resolve people's issues. He focused on the importance of holding the state govt and other agencies like BMC accountable for lack of governance, infrastructure, and rural distress. He said these are ways through which the opposition can reclaim lost ground. He instructed all of them to actively participate in party work and outreach campaigns in their constituencies, urging them to focus on booth-level planning, voter list updating, and youth mobilisation," the functionary said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo On the tie-up with Raj Thackeray's MNS, Uddhav told the MPs and MLAs that they must prepare to fight BMC polls independently, but at the same time remain open to strategic tie-ups. He said that he already asked grassroots workers to get feedback from the people and apprise him of the people's mood.
