Madhya Pradesh Cabinet approves hike in Ladli Behna monthly allowance to ₹1,500

The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Monday (November 10, 2025) approved the increase of ₹250 in the monthly allowance to eligible women under the Ladli Behna scheme, taking the amount to ₹1,500 per month from November onward. 

The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. “The Council of Ministers approved an increase in the monthly financial assistance amount under the Chief Minister Ladli Behna Yojana from ₹1,250 to ₹1,500,” his office said in a statement.

Mr. Yadav had earlier announced that the increased amount would be given from Deepavali. While an additional ₹250 was given to each beneficiary in October for the festivals, the amount has now been increased permanently. 

As part of the scheme, more than 1.26 crore women between 21 and 60 years of age, and having an annual family income of less than ₹2.5 lakh, receive a monthly allowance from the State government.  

The scheme was launched by the then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in March 2023 with the amount of ₹1,000 per month, which was increased to ₹1,250 the same year in October, ahead of the State Assembly election. 

With the current amount of ₹1,250, the State government is disbursing ₹1,541 crore approximately to the bank accounts of beneficiaries under the scheme every month. The hike will cost an additional ₹1,793.75 crore for the ongoing financial year 2025-26. 

“The ₹250 increase in the scheme will require an additional budget of ₹1,793 crore [and] 75 lakh in the financial year 2025-26. The potential expenditure for the financial year 2025-26 will be ₹20,450 crore [and] 99 lakh,” the government said. 

State Finance Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda had allocated ₹18,669 crore for the scheme in the Budget presented in the Assembly in March. 

In its manifesto for the 2023 Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised to gradually increase the amount to ₹3,000 per month by 2028.