This is an archive article published on March 8, 2025

Delhi Cabinet gives nod to Rs 2500 monthly aid under Mahila Samridhi Yojana: Which other states offer cash payout to women?

Schemes for Women: With Saturday's decision, Delhi has joined a growing list of states that have some form of cash assistance geared towards women, such as the Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme in Maharashtra and the Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana in Jharkhand.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with ministers, addresses the media in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

By: Express Web Desk

5 min readNew DelhiMar 10, 2025 09:24 PM IST First published on: Mar 8, 2025 at 08:22 PM IST

State Wise Schemes for Women: The Delhi Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, on Saturday approved the Mahila Samridhi Yojana coinciding with the International Women’s Day. Under the scheme, eligible women beneficiaries will receive Rs 2,500 every month after they register on a government portal.

The government has allocated Rs 5,100 crore to the scheme, which was a major poll plank of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the lead up to the Delhi Assembly elections. This follows in the footsteps of similar schemes in other BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra that are said to have reaped electoral dividends for the party. With Saturday’s decision, Delhi has joined a growing list of states that have some form of cash assistance geared towards women, such as the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme in Maharashtra and the Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana in Jharkhand. How many Indian states have such a scheme? Who all are eligible? And what about the cost to the exchequer?

Delhi

CM: Rekha Gupta, BJP
Scheme: Mahila Samridhi Yojana
Status: Cabinet nod

The Mahila Samridhi Yojana promises Rs 2,500 each month to all eligible women beneficiaries. The Delhi Cabinet approved the scheme on Saturday, March 8, with a budgetary allocation of Rs 5,100 crore for the current fiscal year. Women can register on a government portal, which will be launched soon. CM Rekha Gupta will head a panel for implementing the scheme, which will utilise Aadhaar-based e-KYC for direct financial assistance.

Madhya Pradesh

CM: Mohan Yadav, BJP
Scheme: Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana
Status: Launched in 2023

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government launched the scheme in 2023. The Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana offers a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,250 to women beneficiaries aged 21-60 with annual family income less than Rs 2.5 lakh. The women should have no taxpayer in their family to be eligible. After the BJP’s electoral victory in the Assembly elections in 2023, the CM Mohan Yadav-led government boosted the allocation to Rs 18,984 crore in its 2024 Budget, up from Rs 8,000 crore in the previous year.

Maharashtra

CM: Devendra Fadnavis, BJP
Scheme: Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana
Status: Launched in 2024

The Maharashtra government, then led by Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, launched the scheme in 2024. The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana offers monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to women beneficiaries aged 21-65 with annual family income less than Rs 2.5 lakh.

Also Read | A month after return to power, Mahayuti govt struggles to meet Ladki Bahin promise

The government has transferred Rs 17,000 crore so far to 2.38 crore women beneficiaries, according to the Economic Survey of Maharashtra tabled in the state Assembly recently. While the Devendra Fadnavis government has continued with the scheme after the Mahayuti alliance returned to power, an exercise to weed out ineligible beneficiaries has been launched. The alliance had also promised to increase the payout to Rs 2,100 if they return to power.

Jharkhand

CM: Hemant Soren, JMM
Scheme: Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana
Status: Launched in 2024

The Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) government launched the Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana in 2024. Nearly 50 lakh eligible beneficiaries aged 18-50 are receiving the benefits. The state has jacked up the monthly aid amount to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,000 earlier, according to the state government website.

Karnataka

CM: Siddaramaiah, Congress
Scheme: Gruhalakshmi scheme
Status: Launched in 2023

Karnataka’s Congress government launched the Gruhalakshmi scheme, under which women head of families get Rs 2,000 as monthly financial assistance. There are over 1.25 crore beneficiaries under the scheme and the state government earmarked more than Rs 28,000 crore for fiscal year 2024-25, after releasing Rs 17,000 crore the previous year.

Tamil Nadu

CM: M K Stalin, DMK
Scheme: Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam
Status: Launched in 2023

The Tamil Nadu’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government launched the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam in 2023. Women family heads get a monthly grant of Rs 1,000 under the scheme inaugurated by CM MK Stalin. The Indian Express had earlier reported that other eligibility criteria include a family annual income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh, and annual use of less than 3,600 units of power. The name of the scheme translates to Kalaignar women’s rights scheme, with Kalaignar being a popular term of endearment for former Tamil Nadu CM and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.

West Bengal

CM: Mamata Banerjee, TMC
Scheme: Lakshmir Bhandar
Status: Launched in 2021

Under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, women beneficiaries (aged 25-60) in West Bengal get a monthly financial assistance — Rs 1,000 for the general category and Rs 1,200 to SC/ST women — from the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. There have been demands by the opposition BJP to increase this amount.