Welfare Schemes

Over ₹3.25 trn deposited in banks under Sukanya Samriddhi scheme: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said more than four crore accounts have been opened under the Sukanya Samriddhi scheme so far and more than Rs 3.25 lakh crore has been deposited in these accounts. In his address at the birth centenary celebrations of Sri Satya Sai Baba, Modi also said in Indian tradition, cows are considered a symbol of life, prosperity and compassion as they help in the financial, nutritional and social well-being of these families. "Ten years ago, the Indian government started the Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana for the education and betterment of daughters. This is one of the plans of the country in which our daughters get the highest interest rate of 8.2 per cent. So far, more than four crore accounts have been opened under the Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana. And you will be happy to know that more than Rs 3.25 lakh crores has been deposited in these bank accounts," Modi said. On cow protection, Modi said a few years ago, under the National Gokul Mission, more th

Bihar elections: NDA's vision of Viksit Bihar faces fiscal roadblocks

The NDA's big mandate and its 'Viksit Bihar' agenda face fiscal strain as the state struggles with low capital outlay and a heavy revenue burden

12 states to spend ₹1.68 trillion on women's cash schemes: Report

A total of 12 states across India will collectively spend Rs 1.68 lakh crore on unconditional cash transfer schemes for women in 2025-26, up from just two states implementing such programmes three years ago, according to a new report by think tank PRS Legislative Research. The report said six of these 12 states have projected a revenue deficit this year, highlighting growing fiscal pressure linked to the rapid expansion of women-centric welfare payouts. "Among the 12 states implementing UCT schemes, six have estimated a revenue deficit in 2025-26. However, adjusting the revenue balance to exclude spending on UCT schemes shows an improvement in fiscal indicators of these states," the report said. Unconditional cash transfer (UCT) schemes, which aim to empower women from economically weaker households through monthly direct benefit payments, have become a key welfare feature in several states. The number of states providing largely unconditional cash transfers (UCT) to women has ...

No data, no compensation: Injured sewer workers slip through legal cracks

On a cold February morning in 2020, Sanjay, a sanitation worker, in his forties, from Delhi's Seemapuri, was called in a hurry by a local contractor. A political rally was scheduled nearby, and the sewer was overflowing. He was promised Rs 300. It was urgent and the money was good, so we went, Sanjay said. Three men climbed down that day, but only one made it out alive. Inside the narrow pit, thick with the stench of toxic gases, Sanjay's co-workers fell unconscious within minutes. Then they pushed me to go inside and check, Sanjay said. He remembers nothing after that but only waking up, 13 days later, in a hospital bed with tubes running through his nose and throat. Sanjay's medical records from the Lok Nayak Hospital mention acute sewer gas poisoning and pneumonitis lung inflammation caused by inhaling toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide and methane. He suffered seizures, needed mechanical ventilation, and narrowly survived. And the scars of that day remain etched in his bod

PM launches ₹35,440 cr agri schemes, inaugurates projects worth ₹5,450 cr

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched two major schemes for the agriculture sector with a combined outlay of Rs 35,440 crore, including a pulses mission aimed at reducing import dependency. The event coincided with the birth anniversary of socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan. He also inaugurated projects valued at over Rs 5,450 crore in the agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and food processing sectors, while laying the foundation stone for additional projects worth around Rs 815 crore. The 'Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses', with an outlay of Rs 11,440 crore, aims at increasing pulses production from the current 252.38 lakh tonne to 350 lakh tonne by the 2030-31 crop year and reducing the country's import dependency. The Rs 24,000-crore 'Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana' aims to transform 100 low-performing agri-districts. The scheme will focus on enhancing productivity, promoting crop diversification, improving irrigation and storage, and ensuring

Bihar govt spent ₹3,200 crore on pre-poll welfare schemes, shows data

Bihar announces ₹3,200 crore pre-poll welfare schemes, including ₹10,000 for 15 million women, ahead of election schedule announcement

Maharashtra mulls monetising 'Golden Data' of welfare scheme beneficiaries

The Maharashtra government is weighing a proposal from the IT department to monetise non-personal data of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes through its new digital platform 'Samanvay', scheduled for launch on October 2, officials said. The database, termed as 'Golden Data', will carry details of every beneficiary of state and central schemes and will be accessible through a unique 'MahaID' linked to Aadhaar numbers, they said. The portal is currently under trial, a senior official from the Information Technology department said. "Once the system functions smoothly, we may explore monetising the data with private companies, start-ups and financial institutions. This is consistent with central government policy, and privacy-related issues have already been addressed at the national level," he said. The shared information would be anonymised, with no personal details revealed, he clarified. "Such data will help private companies in conducting market research before product ...

PM Modi holds roadshow in Bhavnagar, inaugurates ₹34,200 crore projects

As part of the maritime sector initiatives, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth over Rs 7,870 crore, including the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal at Indira Dock

Maharashtra mandates e-KYC for Ladki Bahin beneficiaries, sets deadline

The Maharashtra government has made e-KYC mandatory for beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme, giving them two months to complete the process. A government resolution (GR) was issued regarding this on Thursday, an official said. The Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana provides monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to women in the age group of 21-65, whose annual family income is not more than Rs 2.5 lakh. Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare on Thursday said, "An e-KYC facility has been made available on the web portal, 'ladakibahin.maharashtra.gov.in', for all beneficiaries of the scheme. They are requested to complete the e-KYC process in the next two months." This process is simple and convenient, and to maintain transparency in the scheme and ensure regular benefits to eligible women, everyone should complete it, she said in a post on X. This process will also be useful to avail the benefits of other government schemes in the future, Tatkare said. Acco

Maha govt expands Mission Vatsalya to help all widows, deserted women

The Maharashtra government has decided to expand the scope of its Mission Vatsalya scheme to provide benefits to all widows, single and deserted women, state Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare has said. The scheme was initially launched in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic to support children who had lost both parents to the ailment as well as widowed women. At the time, committees under tehsildars were constituted at the taluka level to ensure such orphans and widows could access government aid and essential certificates, including death and income certificates, caste certificates, widow pension, ration cards, housing support and other social security benefits. Tatkare on Friday said that the government will now organise camps and outreach programmes at the district level to ensure widows and single women receive the benefits of various state welfare schemes under the 'government at your doorstep' initiative. "The expansion of Mission Vatsalya will provide social a

2.6 mn ineligible beneficiaries of Ladki Bahin scheme in Maha: Minister

The Maharashtra government has prima facie identified 26 lakh ineligible beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin scheme for women, state minister Aditi Tatkare said on Monday. The data of ineligible beneficiaries has been submitted to district authorities for physical verification, and appropriate action will be initiated on completion of the scrutiny, the Women and Child Development Minister said. The minister stressed that the benefits of eligible beneficiaries will continue uninterrupted. Tatkare, in an X post, stated that the Information and Technology Department had provided preliminary information regarding approximately 26 lakh beneficiaries receiving benefits under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme who do not appear to be eligible as per the scheme's criteria. These beneficiaries are from all districts in the state, she added. Accordingly, the Women and Child Development Department has provided the preliminary information of these beneficiaries to the concerned district .

Centre making efforts to ensure adequate availability of fertilisers

Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said the central government is making efforts to ensure timely and adequate availability of fertilisers, and increase per-hectare agricultural productivity. Chouhan was speaking at an event here on the occasion of the release of the 20th installment of the PM KISAN Samman Nidhi. The interest of the country's farmers is of paramount for us. Serving farmers as the agriculture minister is like worshiping God for me. Agriculture is the backbone of India's economy and farmers are its soul, he said. He emphasised efforts to increase per-hectare agricultural productivity, especially in low-yield regions, through initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Yojana. Chouhan also assured farmers of timely and adequate availability of fertilisers and pesticides, and underscored various schemes aimed at compensating crop losses. The direction of research in the agriculture sector will now be determined not from Delhi, but from villages and

PM's Internship Scheme: What's working, what's not, what it teaches youth

A look at the varied experiences of Prime Minister's Internship Scheme - what's working, what's not, and what it's teaching India's youth

Nitish Kumar doubles pay for school, health workers ahead of Bihar polls

Cooks, watchmen, instructors, ASHAs, Mamta workers see wage hikes in Bihar; ₹882 cr Janki Mandir plan to be launched August 8

Govt aiming to take number of 'Lakhpati Didis' to 20 mn by Aug 15: Chouhan

Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said 1.5 crore women have already become Lakhpati Didis in India and his ministry is aiming to take the figure to 2 crore by August 15. 'Lakhpati Didi' refers to a woman member of a Self-Help Group (SHG) who earns an income of Rs 1 lakh or more per year. Chouhan visited the Indian Council of Agricultural Research - Directorate of Groundnut Research in Junagadh town of Gujarat, where he reviewed its activities and interacted with farmers and Lakhpati Didis of SHGs, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said in a release. In his address, Chouhan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a resolve to make every woman a Lakhpati Didi. "Why should any woman remain poor? This campaign is being run across India. Till now, 1.5 crore women have already become Lakhpati Didis and my department is constantly taking steps to make 2 crore women Lakhpati Didis by August 15," he said. In Junagadh, there are women ...

Karnataka transporters strike over late dues; Anna Bhagya food supply hit

Transporters halt foodgrain movement across Karnataka over unpaid dues spanning six months; halting delivery of govt food scheme

Delhi 'Laadli Yojana' beneficiaries declined 60% in last 15 years: RTI

The number of people who took benefits under the Laadli Yojana in Delhi has decreased by about 60 per cent in the last 15 years, information shared by the government under the Right to Information Act has revealed. Laadli Yojana was started in the national capital on January 1, 2008, with the aim to empower young women and reduce gender inequality. According to the data provided to PTI-Bhasha by the government, the number of beneficiaries of the scheme was about 1.25 lakh in 2008-2009, which reduced to 53,000 in 2024-25. The Women and Child Development Department of the Delhi government, in response to an RTI application, said that since the launch of the scheme, till 2025, 13,52,564 girls have been registered. According to the information, while the number of beneficiaries was 1,26,965 in 2008-2009, in 2024-25, their number had fallen by almost 50 per cent to 53,001 a decrease by 58 per cent and the second lowest in the last five years. In 2019-2020, only 30,192 girls benefited

States to spend ₹1 trn on pre-poll sops to women in FY26: Crisil report

Top 18 states will spend Rs 1 lakh crore on pre-poll sops to women this fiscal, Crisil Ratings said on Thursday. States' spending on social sector schemes will be at an elevated 2 per cent of GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) in FY26 and is likely to impact capital expenditure, it added. The social sector spends used to be in the range of 1.4-1.6 per cent of GSDP between fiscals 2019 and 2024, and climbed up to 2 per cent last fiscal, the rating agency said. "This fiscal (FY26), the elevated spending will result in high revenue deficit, thereby limiting the flexibility of the states to undertake higher capital outlays," the agency said. The analysis includes 18 top states accounting for over 90 per cent of aggregate GSDP of all states, and added that social sector spends includes revenue expenditure for welfare of backward classes, women, children and labour, as well as assistance to certain demographics in the form of social security pensions. Its senior director Anuj Sethi sai

Social protection cover in India rises to over 64% in 2025, says ILO

India's social security coverage reaches 64.3 per cent in 2025, up from 19 per cent in 2015, as verified by ILO using new national-level data pooling by the Centre

Over 2,200 Ladki Bahin beneficiaries found to be govt employees: Minister

Maharashtra Minister Aditi Tatkare has said that more than 2,200 beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana were found to be government employees during scrutiny. In a post on X on Friday, Tatkare said verification of beneficiaries will be a regular process. After scrutinising nearly 2 lakh applications, 2,289 government employees were found to be the beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana. After realising this, such beneficiaries are not being given the benefit of the scheme, the Women and Child Development Minister said. Tatkare said the government is committed to ensuring that only eligible beneficiaries receive the benefits of the Ladki Bahin Yojana and will continue to scrutinise applications for this. Ahead of the November 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls, the Mahayuti government in the state launched the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana in August last year, under which eligible women in the age group of 21-65 years are entitled to a monthly ...