Maharashtra Budget: Ladki Bahin Yojana stays, but no increase in payout
Maharashtra Budget:Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday gave a shocker by claiming that he never promised to increase the payout under the Ladki Bahin Scheme from ₹1,500 to ₹2,100. He was addressing the media shortly after presenting his eleventh budget as Maharashtra’s Finance Minister for 2025-26. Although Pawar acknowledged that such a pre-poll promise was made in the manifestos of the constituent parties of the incumbent Mahayuti, he cited the state’s financial health as the reason for not increasing the payout.
However, an amount of ₹36,000 crore has been allocated for the populist scheme, which helped Mahayuti return to power last November.
Till Monday afternoon, before Ajit Pawar started reading his budget speech, the corridors of Vidhan Bhavan were abuzz with questions like whether the Ladki Bahin Yojana would continue and, if it did, whether women would receive ₹2,100 per month as per Mahayuti’s pre-poll promise. Opposition leaders like Uddhav Thackeray had dared the government to fulfill its promise. However, confirming the predictions of financial pundits, the Ladki Bahin Yojana survived, albeit without any additional payout.
Maharashtra Budget:Ajit Pawar proposed a budget of ₹7.20 lakh crore. As per the budget presented by Pawar, the state’s revenue deficit stands at ₹45,892 crore, whereas the fiscal deficit is ₹1,36,234 crore. Pawar informed that the income for the outgoing financial year has been ₹5.60 lakh crore, whereas the expenditure has been ₹6.06 lakh crore. A substantial amount of ₹500 crore has been earmarked for the use of AI technology in the agricultural sector. Budgetary provisions have also been made for the completion of irrigation projects and the expansion of irrigated land. A river-linking project worth ₹88,574 crore has been announced for the benefit of farmers in six districts.
A new industrial policy was also announced, which includes developing the Mumbai Metropolitan Region as a growth hub and constructing another airport at Vadhvan in the Palghar district. According to Pawar, the government aims to make Maharashtra a $1.5 trillion economy by 2047. The government expects to attract ₹40 lakh crore in investment, which is likely to generate 50 lakh jobs.
Maharashtra Budget:The budget has brought unpleasant news for the transport sector, as the Motor Vehicle Tax has been increased across various categories. A 6 percent tax will be levied on electric vehicles costing above ₹30 lakh. A one percent tax hike has also been proposed for CNG and LPG vehicles. Additionally, a 7 percent tax will be imposed on vehicles used in the construction industry.
The real estate sector has also not been spared from increased taxation. The stamp duty on supplementary documents, in cases where more than one document is used for the same transaction, has been proposed to increase from ₹100 to ₹500. However, the government has planned to simplify tax payments by introducing an ‘e-stamp certificate,’ which will enable citizens to make online payments.
The opposition protested against the budget, with MVA MLAs sitting on the stairs of Vidhan Bhavan and shouting slogans for around half an hour. Uddhav Thackeray called it a “completely bogus budget” that had failed to keep promises made to the people. Congress leader Nana Patole called it a hollow budget and highlighted that no relief had been granted to drought-affected farmers.
Maharashtra Budget:While the opposition is critical of the budget, CM Devendra Fadnavis and DCM Eknath Shinde have lauded it. According to Fadnavis, the budget aligns with PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat. He assured that the government would keep its promise of increasing the payout under the Ladki Bahin Scheme, subject to the state’s financial health. Shinde also praised the budget, claiming that it had considered the betterment of every section of society.
