Nitin Gadkari: 'Subsidy payments may be affected due to Ladki Bahin Scheme'

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has raised concerns that the Maharashtra government's Ladki Bahin scheme, aimed at providing financial assistance to women, could delay the timely payment of subsidies in other sectors. The scheme, launched ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, offers Rs 1,500 per month to married, divorced, and destitute women aged 21-65, with an annual family income cap of Rs 2.5 lakh. The initiative is expected to cost the state exchequer Rs 46,000 crore annually.

Speaking at a public event in Nagpur, Gadkari remarked, "It is uncertain whether investors will receive their subsidy payment on time, as the government also has to allocate funds for the Ladki Bahin scheme." He urged entrepreneurs in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region to invest independently of the government, adding, "My opinion is that irrespective of the government, belonging to any party, keep the government at bay. Government is like a ‘vishkanya’ (poison maiden) as whosoever it goes along with, it will doom them. So do not get into that matter.”

Gadkari further explained that while subsidies may still be available, their disbursement could be delayed due to the reallocation of funds for the Ladki Bahin Yojana. "If you are getting a subsidy, take it, but again it is not sure when one will get the subsidy. With the Ladki Bahin Yojana being started, they have to use the funds allocated for subsidy for that work," he said.

Following Gadkari's remarks, the opposition parties, including the NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), criticised the government's fiscal management. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut questioned the Centre's role in the state's financial decisions, stating, "If there is misuse and mismanagement of funds at a time when the treasury is lacking funds and the government is suspending other schemes, does the Union government have some responsibility?"

NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule expressed similar concerns, pointing to ongoing warnings about Maharashtra's financial situation. "Be it Gadkari, the statements by MNS chief Raj Thackeray and economists, the people in the government, those close to the government and those who are neutral, they are consistently saying the state’s economy is in distress. If people within the government are saying that the economic state of Maharashtra is in distress, then it is a matter of worry," Sule said.

She also emphasised that NCP (SP) state chief Jayant Patil had previously raised these concerns, but they were largely ignored. "Besides, the finance department when it objects or provides the recommendation, nobody listens, in fact, decisions are forcefully implemented in the cabinet," she claimed.

The Ladki Bahin scheme has drawn criticism from various quarters, with BJP MLA Tekchand Sawarkar last week describing it as a "jugaad" to secure women’s votes.