In a key announcement on Wednesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reassured the public that the popular ‘Ladki Bahin’ programme would not be discontinued. He also committed to create ten million 'Lakhpati Didis', a term for women who will earn at least ₹1 lakh annually.
Fadnavis made the comments at the launch of the statewide ‘Mukhyamantri Samruddha Panchayat Raj Abhiyan’ in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The campaign is designed to ensure that every village in the state receives the full benefits of central and state government schemes.
Fadnavis directly addressed speculation that the ‘Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana’, which provides eligible women with a monthly assistance of ₹1,500, would be scrapped. "Some people claimed that the Ladki Bahin scheme will be scrapped. Our sisters should not believe them," he said.
He added that the government’s ambitions go beyond simply providing the monthly sum. “We won’t just stop at providing ₹1,500. We are starting women-led credit societies in villages, which will provide employment opportunities to women,” he explained. The Chief Minister said the goal is to create ten million ‘Lakhpati Didis’ by providing women with interest-free loans of ₹1 lakh.
“Our sisters won’t subsist on only ₹1,500 but will be self-employed and give jobs to others,” he said.
Fadnavis said that Maharashtra would not prosper until its villages and their residents do. The new campaign, launched in Kingaon, aims to make villages financially capable through public participation, government funding, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions.
He noted that the government had previously created many ‘model villages’ through the ‘Gram Samruddhi Abhiyan’ and now plans to turn 28,000 'gram panchayats' and 40,000 villages into model villages. The campaign will also help create clean and green villages, with clean water made available through government schemes and public involvement.
Furthermore, employment will be generated by bringing together schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Village-level works, including the construction of Anganwadis, roads, water tanks, and the deepening of drains, will all be undertaken through these combined schemes.
During the event, Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat, a native of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, urged the government to fulfil pending projects for the Marathwada region, which often faces insufficient rainfall. "People call our region backward... The state should announce a package for the welfare of people in Marathwada," he said, expressing his belief that the region would become one of the fastest-growing in the state.
Responding to Shirsat, the Chief Minister affirmed, "Making the Marathwada region drought-free is our aim."
Also read: Maratha quota issue: Raut says Fadnavis must talk to Jarange
Follow us
