As Maharashtra campaign enters final leg, will Ladki Bahin hold the key?

But if the ruling confederation fancies its chances, it’s successful ample portion owed to Ladki Bahin, a strategy with a monthly budget of Rs 3,500 crore that it has managed to propulsion done close earlier the elections. As per Chief Minister Shinde’s announcement connected October 9, astatine slightest 2.26 crore women person benefited from the scheme.

The scheme provides Rs 1,500 a period to women residents of Maharashtra who are betwixt the ages of 21 to 65 years and whose yearly household income is little than Rs 2.5 lakh.

The Ladki Bahin strategy has taken disconnected successful some the districts, with an overwhelming fig of the applicants — 97% successful Nandurbar and 96% successful Sindhudurg. (Express photograph by Amit Chakravarty)

The Indian Express travelled to Nandurbar and Sindhudurg, districts separated by astir 800 km, to spot the interaction of the strategy connected its intended beneficiaries. Nandurbar, a tribal district, is among Maharashtra’s poorest, portion the comparatively prosperous Sindhudurg, on the Konkan coast, is among 4 districts successful the authorities with much women voters than men. While Nandurbar has traditionally been a Congress bastion, the BJP has been making inroads, winning 2 of the 4 Assembly seats successful the past election. Sindhudurg is considered a Narayan Rane turf, but this time, is apt to witnesser a contention betwixt the 2 Shiv Sena factions.

The Ladki Bahin strategy has taken disconnected successful some the districts, with an overwhelming fig of the applicants — 97% successful Nandurbar and 96% successful Sindhudurg — getting the wealth successful their accounts.

‘Small amount, large difference’

As with each specified currency transportation schemes targeting women, Ladki Bahin has enactment wealth successful the hands of women, helping them workout their fiscal bureau erstwhile and wherever it matters most.

Nilima Walvi, 36, a regular wage labourer from Palipada tribal colony successful Nandurbar’s Navapur, says that successful August, she spent the wealth she received from the strategy connected her eight-year-old girl Devashree’s attraction astatine a backstage hospital. The Class 3 pupil studies astatine a adjacent ashramshaala (a residential schoolhouse for tribal students).

“For astir 3 days, the schoolhouse unit kept giving her paracetamol but the fever didn’t travel down and she was highly weak. We got frightened truthful we rushed her to a backstage hospital. Rs 1,500 a period whitethorn not beryllium a large amount. But it truly does marque a quality successful situations similar these,” says Nilima.

In Sindhudurg’s Sangave village, Paskin Dsouza, 48, who works arsenic a home help, had to wage Rs 100 to capable the Ladki Bahin signifier astatine a backstage centre and has to walk Rs 20 connected the autobus summons to Arkula each clip she goes to her slope to retreat the money, but is gladsome she has the money. “My hubby is simply a daily-wage labourer and doesn’t get immoderate enactment connected astir days. My elder lad Motes utilized to enactment successful a edifice successful Goa, but helium died, and present we are struggling to survive. My younger lad is successful Class 12 and my girl is married. How tin I not ballot for the authorities that helped maine erstwhile I needed it the most,” she says.

As with each specified currency transportation schemes targeting women, Ladki Bahin has enactment wealth successful the hands of women, helping them workout their fiscal bureau erstwhile and wherever it matters most. (Express photograph by Amit Chakravarty)

A fewer km away, successful Sindhudurg’s Pushpawadi village, Suvarnalata Pawar, 62, is simply a cancer survivor. In 2021, erstwhile she had a relapse, she was referred to Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital but it during the pandemic and the infirmary lone took successful patients who were critical. Her hubby is simply a autobus operator and her sons — 1 successful Mumbai and the different successful Kolhapur — person salaried jobs. “We had to spell to a backstage infirmary successful Kolhapur and my sons had to instrumentality loans for my treatment. When I got this money, I helped them with 1 instalment of the loan. I americium truthful grateful for this,” says Suvarnalata, looking skywards with folded hands.

Elsewhere successful the district, successful Walawal colony successful Kudal taluka, 60-year-old Sneha Walawalkar, whose hubby died early, says she is not babelike connected the wealth since her children are well-settled and enactment her. “But this wealth comes to my relationship and I tin usage it the mode I want. It’s my money,” she says, beaming.

‘What if it is stopped aft the polls?’

But if the huddle astatine the Nawapada colony successful Nandurbar is immoderate indication, the popularity of the strategy is tinged with scepticism astir whether the wealth volition proceed aft the polls.

“If the aforesaid radical travel backmost to power, we volition proceed to get this money,” says Sakhubai Gavit, successful her precocious 40s, whose household members enactment arsenic workplace labourers. “What is the guarantee?” asks Suma Gavit, successful her 50s, different successful the group.

Both hold they are fortunate to get the wealth portion the strategy lasts due to the fact that “nobody truly knows what volition hap aft the elections”. “While these (Mahayuti) radical are saying they volition treble the wealth aft being re-elected, others (Congress) are promising an adjacent larger amount. But what is the constituent of this wealth if nutrient and medicines proceed to beryllium truthful costly?,” says Sakhubai.

It doesn’t assistance that for a strategy that’s identified with CM Eknath Shinde, his Sena faction has lone 1 campaigner (in Akkalkuwa) successful the 4 Assembly seats that marque up Nandurbar district; the remainder are with the Sena’s Mahayuti partners.

When asked astir the scheme, a pistillate who is portion of a radical sitting extracurricular a ration store successful Dhekwad colony of Nandurbar says, “I got the money, but don’t cognize which enactment gave it. We person ever voted for the punja (Congress symbol).” Another pistillate successful the radical manages to accidental “Shinde sarkar gave the money”, but isn’t alert if her constituency has a campaigner from the party.

The ration store owner, who didn’t privation to beryllium named, says, “Almost each women who are eligible person got the wealth successful our district. But the question is, however galore of them cognize who sent this money? Even though they whitethorn cognize that the Shinde authorities sent it, Shinde does not person immoderate campaigner present (in Navapur). Then the question is, adjacent if they privation to convey the Mahayuti for this gift, bash they cognize who the confederation campaigner is?”

The strategy provides Rs 1,500 a period to women residents of Maharashtra who are betwixt the ages of 21 to 65 years and whose yearly household income is little than Rs 2.5 lakh. (Express photograph by Amit Chakravarty)

Geeta Padvi, an anganwadi sevika who helped 167 women from Nandurbar’s Dhekwad colony to capable forms for Ladki Bahin, says, “Women cognize wherever the wealth has travel from and it has helped a batch of them. Many could adjacent beryllium consenting to ballot for this authorities hoping that the wealth volition continue, but since determination is nary nonstop transportation betwixt the candidates and the CM, they are apt to get confused.”

However, Bharat Gavit, NCP (Ajit Pawar), the campaigner contesting from Navapur constituency successful Nandurbar, is hopeful that helium tin marque the astir of the goodwill generated by the scheme. His squad has made videos of women talking astir benefits of the strategy which are being circulated connected societal media arsenic a portion of the campaign.

“I did not realise what a large interaction the strategy had made until immoderate of the beneficiaries came up to maine during my run and spoke astir it,” said Gavit, who is contesting against two-time sitting MLA from the Congress, Shirish Naik.

Unlike successful Nandurbar, successful Sindhudurg, determination is overmuch much clarity astir the root of the scheme.

Bhagyashree Raut and Sheetal Parab are co-workers astatine a cashew sorting mill successful Mangaon, each earning Rs 170 a day. While they, similar the women successful Nandurbar, are sceptical of the aboriginal of the strategy aft the elections, they are gladsome to person got the wealth successful their hands. “At slightest this CM kept his connection and gave america money,” says Bhagayshree, 50, who says the wealth came successful useful for the attraction of her hubby Bhaskar, who was diagnosed with a lump connected his tongue.

Sheetal, 35, parent of 2 school-going children whose hubby hasn’t recovered since falling sick during the pandemic, says, “I person to gain for the full household and this wealth is precise useful. Others are promising different strategy with treble the amount, but my ballot volition spell to the 1 who gave the wealth alternatively of the 1 who has lone spoken of it truthful far.”

Narayan Rane’s lad and Kankavli BJP MLA Nitish Rane
(Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Sitting BJP MLA Nitesh Rane from Kankavli constituency of Sindhudurg territory calls it a groundbreaking scheme. “This is simply a women-oriented territory with the highest women voters. This election, past volition beryllium written by women voters,” helium said.

Disagreeing with the scheme’s impact, Sandesh Parkar, Rane’s hostile from Shiv Sena (UBT), says radical privation long-pending improvement of areas and not money. “Voters present are looking guardant to days erstwhile they bash not person to migrate for jobs, their children get higher acquisition adjacent and cipher has to unreserved to Goa oregon Ratnagiri for captious aesculapian care, which is presently inadequate. The MVA authorities is assuring each this and overmuch more, including Rs 3,000 per period to women nether the Mahalakshmi scheme.”

‘Dreams won’t travel existent with Rs 1,500’

But what’s undeniable is that Lakdi Bahin, similar with each specified fiscal empowerment strategy targeting women, has raised their expectations.

In Sindhudurg’s Pednekarwadi village, portion of Kudal taluka, Akshata Parab, a 38-year-old azygous parent is grateful for the wealth that has travel her way, but wonders if that’s capable to warrant a amended beingness for her teenage daughter.

As per Chief Minister Shinde’s announcement connected October 9, astatine slightest 2.26 crore women person benefited from the scheme. (Express photograph by Amit Chakravarty)

Akshata, who precocious separated from her hubby who “drank excessively much”, works arsenic a workplace labourer for six months of the rice-farming play and astatine a tiny spice-manufacturing portion for the remaining six months for Rs 170 a day.

“Aarya is bully astatine studies, she ever scores 90 per cent and above. I privation her to survey arsenic overmuch arsenic she wants and found herself earlier she is married. But each those dreams are not going to travel existent with conscionable Rs 1,500 a month. I alternatively privation the authorities had much avenues for maine to gain well, scholarships for my girl etc.,” she says.