WCD dept expects 5-10% hike in share ahead of state budget

Pune: The state woman and child development (WCD) department is expecting a 5-10% rise in budget allocation in the upcoming state budget, department sources told TOI on Saturday.
Ahead of the state budget to be presented on March 10 by deputy CM and finance minister Ajit Pawar, the state WCD has placed demands for various schemes, with particular focus on Ladki Bahin Yojana.
"We are expecting a 5-10% increase in allocation from last year's budget and the supplementary budget presented in Dec," said a senior official from the department.
The Ladki Bahin Yojana received Rs 1,400 crore in Dec's supplementary budget, adding to the Rs 35,000 crore earmarked in the previous year's budget for Rs 1,500 monthly subsidy. Since its launch on July 1 last year, the state govt had spent Rs 3,700 crore on the scheme, with allocation secured until the end of March. The senior official remained non-committal regarding the potential increase in monthly subsidy from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100. "A cabinet meeting will be held to clear the increase in subsidy amount," the official added. WCD minister Aditi Tatkare had previously stated that Rs 2,100 instalment would be finalised during the Feb-March budget session.
While no new schemes have been proposed, the department has requested budgetary allocations for the existing programmes.
This will be the first budget of the Mahayuti govt led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, which won the Nov assembly polls with a landslide mandate. The Ladki Bahin Yojana is widely considered a key factor in their electoral success. Officials noted that if the subsidy amount increases, the allocation will need to be raised accordingly.