Ladki Bahin beneficiaries to get Dec instalment after Nov 20: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said beneficiaries of Ladki Bahin Yojana will get the December instalment of the monthly aid of Rs 1250 on November 20 at the end of voting for the state assembly polls.

The scheme is targeted at women with an annual family income of less that Rs 2.5 lakh. The Mahayuti has announced during the campaign for the assembly polls that it will raise the aid amount to Rs 2100 if it retains power. Results of the polls will be declared on November 23.  "When I introduced the Ladki Bahin scheme, my goal was to empower women. Anticipating that the opposition would employ various tactics to undermine it, I arranged for advance payments till November. Beneficiaries will receive the December instalment as soon as the voting on November 20 wraps up and the model code of conduct is relaxed," Shinde told reporters. The model code of conduct in the state has been in force since October 15, when the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule for Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The opposition has been targeting the state government by raising questions on the financial viability of the scheme as well as its longevity. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, while addressing a rally in Ahilyanagar on the last of the campaigning, had said the Ladki Bahin scheme would be abandoned after the state polls.