By - Divyanshi Sinha
Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin Yojana—Rs 1,500 monthly to 2.5 crore women—promised empowerment but delivered chaos, paying first and verifying later in a populist rush exposing welfare's pitfalls. Sanjeev Shivadekar's critique rings true: Rs 40,000 crore disbursed sans Aadhaar-KYC rigor led to 15% ghost beneficiaries, fraud rings siphoning via benami accounts, echoing MGNREGA scams. Women celebrate cash for sarees or kids' fees, but economists warn dependency traps: savings rate dips 8%, female LFPR stalls at 41% as gig jobs lose appeal. Hormuz veggie hikes to Rs 180/kg make aid vital, yet without skill modules, it's alms not ladders.
Contrast Kerala's Kudumbashree: conditional cash tied to SHG training boosted entrepreneurship 25%. Maharashtra must pivot—audit 30% payouts via AI facial scans, link to upskilling like Mumbai's BMC tailoring hubs employing 50,000. Critics slam BJP's "tokenism" pre-polls, but data shows nutrition gains: anemia down 12% in pilot talukas. True empowerment demands jobs—textile parks in Solapur, ITES for Tier-2 girls. Without, schemes breed entitlement, straining Rs 5 lakh crore state debt. Ladki Bahin isn't villainy; it's haste. Verify rigorously, skill aggressively—Mumbai's women deserve futures, not fortnightly fixes.
