Budget fails to keep promises to women, farmers, youth | Mumbai news
MUMBAI: Unlike the last budget before the assembly polls and despite the promises in the Mahayuti manifesto for farmers, women and the youth, the first budget after the alliance’s massive victory had no major announcements for these sections. It offered, instead, artificial intelligence (AI) schemes for the agriculture sector and administrative assistance for women’s self-help groups (SHGs) who wished to use the ₹1,500 per month received under the Ladki Bahin Yojana.
Apart from Ladki Bahin, last year’s budget and manifesto had announced free professional education for girls and free three gas cylinders every year for households. For youths, there was an internship scheme and a monthly education stipend of up to ₹10,000 per month while farmers were to receive free power for agriculture pumps. However, the 2025-26 budget merely offers minor schemes and promises to consider others. The internship scheme has already been put on hold by CM Devendra Fadnavis.
In his budget speech, Ajit Pawar announced a two-year, ₹ 500-crore scheme for the use of AI in the agriculture sector to provide crop planning advice, reduce production cost and secure sustainable markets. He said that in the first phase, 50,000 farmers covering an area of one lakh acres would benefit.
The minister also announced a plan to construct a ‘Maha Mumbai International Market’ in Navi Mumbai, an ‘International Fish Market’ at Marol in Andheri and a silk cocoon buying and selling market at Armori in Gadchiroli. Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) have been promised in those tehsils that do not have them. Apart from these announcements, the government only listed the various ongoing schemes for farmers.
For women too, it was the same thing, with the finance minister merely reading out a list of ongoing schemes like Lek Ladki and Lakhpati Didi. The government said that it hoped to enable 2.4 million women to become Lakhpati Didis, earning an annual ₹100,000 or more through business. For youths too, there was no specific announcement.
The budget has disappointed Ladki Bahin beneficiaries, who were expecting an increase in their payment from ₹1,500 to ₹2,100. The only new announcement for them was the construction of an ‘Umed Mall’ in 10 districts to market SHGs at an expenditure of ₹150 crore.
The annual provision for Ladki Bahin is ₹36,000 crore this year, ₹10,000 crore less than last year. When asked about this, Fadnavis said that last year’s amount was merely an estimate.
