While the parties are courting voters with women-centered programs, here is a status check

Both the BJP and the Congress have given special importance to women in their manifestos for the Haryana assembly elections on October 5. While the Congress has promised to give a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 to every woman between the ages of 18 and 60 if it comes to power in the state, the BJP has also promised to give women Rs 2,100 per month under the Lado Lakshmi Yojana.

In order to win over female voters, political parties have made similar promises in recent years.

Here you will find a status check on where the women-centered plans have been implemented and where there have been delays.

IMPLEMENTED

Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana – Maharashtra

On August 17, the Eknath Shinde-led government launched this scheme targeting 10 million women between the ages of 21 and 65 with an annual family income of less than Rs 250,000. Under the scheme, eligible women will receive Rs 1,500 per month.

Mahatari Vandan Yojana – Chhattisgarh

In February, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced this monthly cash assistance scheme for married women. It came into effect on March 1. Under this scheme, beneficiaries will receive Rs 12,000 annually, which will be transferred to their bank accounts in monthly instalments of Rs 1,000.

Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana – Madhya Pradesh

The scheme, introduced by former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ahead of the 2023 general elections, provides Rs 1,000 per month for women whose household income is Rs 2.5 lakh. Chouhan's successor Mohan Yadav increased the monthly payout to Rs 1,250 after the BJP's re-election and promised to gradually increase it to Rs 3,000.

Lakshmir Bhandar Program – West Bengal

In February 2021, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in the wake of her re-election bid, introduced the Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme to provide financial assistance to women between the ages of 25 and 60. Under the scheme, women from SC/ST communities will receive Rs 1,200 per month, while women from other categories will receive Rs 1,000 per month.

Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana – Jharkhand

Under this scheme, women between the ages of 21 and 50 with a family income of Rs 300,000 annually will receive Rs 1,000 through DBT on the 15th of every month. The scheme was aimed at helping 4.8 million women in the state.

Gruha Lakshmi Program – Karnataka

On July 19, 2023, the Siddaramiah-led Congress government in Karnataka launched the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which provides Rs 2,000 per month to female heads of households.

Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam – Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam on September 15, 2023. This scheme aims to empower women above the age of 21 years who are considered heads of household by providing them a monthly 'Right to Basic Income' of initially Rs 1,000, which was later increased to Rs 1,200.

To be eligible for this scheme, women-headed households must not have an income exceeding Rs 250,000 per year, own less than two hectares of wetland or less than four hectares of dryland, and consume less than 3,600 units of electricity per year for domestic use.

Himachal Pradesh

On March 4, Chief Minister of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that the Congress-led state government would pay women aged 18 to 60 rupees per month from the next fiscal year.

DELAYED

Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Rashi – Delhi

On March 5, Delhi Finance Minister Atishi, in her first budget speech, announced the “Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Rashi,” under which women above the age of 18 will receive a monthly cash transfer of Rs 1,000.

In July, Minister for Women and Child Development Kailash Gahlot instructed his ministry to prepare a cabinet note on the implementation of the programme.

Once the Cabinet Note receives the approval of the Ministry, it is submitted to the Cabinet and subsequently forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor for final approval.

Punjab

The AAP-led government in Punjab had promised to pay a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,000 to every adult woman in the state if it comes to power in the 2022 assembly elections. However, the state government has not yet implemented the scheme.