MP Govt Mulls Recasting its Flagship Ladli Behna Scheme With Additional Benefits
Sources said that the state government is also considering introducing health insurance benefits for the beneficiaries of the scheme
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh government is seriously contemplating recasting its flagship Ladli Behna scheme by providing additional benefits to the beneficiaries and renaming it, officials indicated on Tuesday.
This will be the second major scheme, launched during the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, to be rechristened by the Mohan Yadav regime, if it happens.
Sources in the chief minister’s office (CMO) disclosed to this newspaper that the state government has set in the process the move to change the name of the Ladli Behna scheme to Devi Subhadra Yojana after the name of sister of Lord Jagannath, who is seen as an avatar of Lord Krishna, and his sibling Lord Balbhadra.
The rechristening of the scheme may soon be announced by chief minister Mohan Yadav, sources said.
The populist scheme providing a monthly incentive of Rs 1,000 initially was launched in March 2023, barely six months before the November 2023 Assembly elections in the state and yielded rich dividends for the ruling BJP in the polls then helping it retain power in Madhya Pradesh with a massive 163 out of 230 seats in the state Assembly.
The incentive was later revised to Rs 1,250 and is set to undergo upward revision again in the current month’s installment to Rs 1,500.
The scheme under which 1.26 crore women have been enlisted as its beneficiaries is set to cost the state exchequer around Rs 22,450 crore annually at revised incentive rate.
Sources said that the state government is also considering introducing health insurance benefits for the beneficiaries of the scheme.
The beneficiaries will have to pay a nominal premium to be covered under health insurance while the state government will bear the major share of the premium in the revised scheme, sources said.
Mr. Yadav has earlier changed name of CM Rise School, the modern schools with smart classrooms, launched by former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The CM Rise School is now rechristened as Sandeepani School after the name of the Ashram in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh where Lord Krishna was believed to have done his schooling.