Key Points
- Cabinet meeting on November 9, 2025, approved ₹250 increase, raising monthly aid from ₹1,250 to ₹1,500
- Enhanced amount effective from November 2025; 30th installment to be released on November 12 in Seoni
- 1.26 crore beneficiary women across Madhya Pradesh to receive increased assistance
- Phased increase roadmap: ₹2,000 in 2026, ₹2,500 in 2027, and ₹3,000 in 2028
- Scheme to cost state exchequer over ₹20,450 crore in fiscal year 2025-26
- Originally launched at ₹1,000 in March 2023, raised to ₹1,250 in September 2023
- Beneficiaries must complete e-KYC process to receive enhanced amounts
- Eligibility: Married, widowed, divorced, or abandoned women aged 21-60 with family income below ₹2.5 lakh annually
Bhopal:The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav on Monday, November 9, 2025, approved a significant enhancement to the flagship Ladli Behna Yojana, increasing the monthly financial assistance by ₹250 to bring the total to ₹1,500 per beneficiary. The decision reflects the state government’s continued commitment to women’s economic empowerment through direct benefit transfers.
State MSME Minister Chaitanya Kashyap, addressing media persons after the cabinet meeting, confirmed the approval: “Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will transfer the monthly installment of Ladli Behna Yojana to 1.26 crore beneficiaries from November 12. From this month, the beneficiaries will receive ₹1,500 per month”. The increase represents a 20% jump from the previous ₹1,250 monthly payment that beneficiaries had been receiving since September 2023.
This marks the second revision to the scheme since its inception. The Ladli Behna Yojana was originally launched on June 10, 2023, from Jabalpur by the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Madhya Pradesh government with an installment of ₹1,000 per month. After the scheme’s success contributed to the BJP’s emphatic victory in the 2023 state Assembly polls, it was increased to ₹1,250 per month in September 2023.
The enhanced amount will be implemented starting with the November 2025 installment, marking the scheme’s 30th monthly payment to beneficiaries across the state. Chief Minister Yadav had originally announced this increase during the Bhai Dooj festival on October 23, 2025, though administrative approvals and fund allocations delayed implementation until November.
November 12 Seoni Event to Launch Enhanced Payments
Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav will officially release the enhanced November installment during a state-level program in Seoni district on November 12, 2025. The event will see the transfer of approximately ₹1,800 crore directly into the bank accounts of 1.26 crore beneficiary women through a single-click digital transfer mechanism.
The Seoni event holds symbolic significance as it demonstrates the government’s commitment to the rapid implementation of welfare schemes in tribal and rural areas of Madhya Pradesh. Seoni, located in the state’s southeastern region, has a substantial tribal population and represents constituencies where such direct benefit transfer schemes have a significant socio-economic impact.
State officials have confirmed that the enhanced payment will reach beneficiaries who have completed their e-KYC (electronic Know Your Customer) process. Women who have not yet completed this mandatory digital verification have been urged to do so immediately to avoid delays in receiving the increased amount. The e-KYC process involves digital verification of beneficiary identity and bank account details to prevent fraud and ensure direct transfers to legitimate recipients.
Ambitious Roadmap to ₹3,000 by 2028
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced an ambitious, structured plan to incrementally increase the Ladli Behna Yojana assistance to ₹3,000 per month by 2028, a strategic timeline that positions the scheme as a central electoral promise ahead of the next state Assembly elections. The phased enhancement follows a clear roadmap designed to balance fiscal responsibility with political commitments.
According to the government’s official timeline, beneficiaries can expect the following progression:
- November 2025: ₹1,500 per month (current increase)
- 2026: ₹2,000 per month (₹500 increase)
- 2027: ₹2,500 per month (₹500 increase)
- 2028: ₹3,000 per month (₹500 increase)
Chief Minister Yadav has emphasized that this is not merely a political declaration but a concrete, budgeted plan that will be implemented systematically over the coming years. “Our sisters should become self-reliant; that is the government’s goal. Every sister will have the right to economic empowerment,” CM Yadav stated in an official release.
The state government has projected that the Ladli Behna Yojana will cost the exchequer over ₹20,450 crore in the fiscal year 2025-26 alone, reflecting the massive scale of this welfare initiative. As the monthly assistance increases toward ₹3,000, annual expenditure could exceed ₹45,000 crore by 2028, making it one of the largest direct benefit transfer schemes in any Indian state.
Scheme Benefits and Impact on Women’s Empowerment
The Ladli Behna Yojana currently benefits approximately 1.26 crore women across Madhya Pradesh, making it one of the most expansive women-focused welfare programs in India. The scheme provides direct financial assistance to married, widowed, divorced, or abandoned women, offering them a degree of economic independence and decision-making power within their households.
Women and Child Development Minister Nirmala Bhuria emphasized the transformative impact of the scheme: “The Ladli Behna Yojana symbolizes the social and economic independence of women. Its impact will be felt across the state in the coming years. From November, the increased amount will be transferred directly to women’s accounts. The Ladli Behna Yojana has instilled new confidence in women’s lives”.
The scheme aims to empower women by strengthening their role in family financial decisions and providing them with resources that can be used for children’s education, healthcare, nutritional needs, or personal development. Field studies and beneficiary testimonials suggest that the monthly assistance has indeed improved household nutrition, enabled children’s education continuity, and given women greater autonomy in managing household expenses.
Eligibility Criteria and Application Process
To be eligible for the Ladli Behna Yojana, women must meet specific criteria established by the Madhya Pradesh government:
Age Requirement: Women must be between 21 and 60 years of age at the time of application.
Marital Status: The scheme is available to married, widowed, divorced, or abandoned women residing in Madhya Pradesh.
Income Limit: The beneficiary’s family annual income must not exceed ₹2.5 lakh. This threshold ensures that assistance reaches economically disadvantaged households.
Employment Restriction: No family member should hold a government job or be an income taxpayer, ensuring that the scheme targets genuinely needy families rather than those with stable government income sources.
Residency: The applicant must be a permanent resident of Madhya Pradesh with valid address proof.
The application process involves submitting required documents at designated centers, including identity proof (Aadhaar card), address proof, bank account details, income certificate, and passport-sized photographs. After verification, approved applicants are added to the beneficiary list, and monthly amounts are transferred directly to their bank accounts on designated dates each month.
Political Significance and Electoral Strategy
The Ladli Behna Yojana is widely credited as one of the primary reasons for the BJP’s emphatic victory in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh state Assembly elections. The scheme, introduced by former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the run-up to those elections, proved to be a game-changer in mobilizing women voters and creating a strong emotional connection between the government and female constituents.
Current Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has strategically positioned the phased increase to ₹3,000 by 2028, the year when the next state Assembly elections are due, as a central pillar of his government’s welfare agenda. This timeline ensures that the final, most substantial increase will be fresh in voters’ minds as they head to the polls, potentially replicating the electoral success that the scheme delivered in 2023.
Opposition parties have criticized the scheme as fiscally unsustainable and a form of “revdi politics” (freebie culture), arguing that such massive direct transfers could compromise the state’s ability to invest in infrastructure, education, and healthcare. However, the BJP government maintains that empowering women through direct financial assistance has multiplier effects on household welfare, children’s nutrition and education, and overall economic development.
Financial Implications and Budget Allocation
The increased allocation to ₹1,500 per month for 1.26 crore beneficiaries translates to a monthly expenditure of approximately ₹1,890 crore, or an annual outlay exceeding ₹22,680 crore. This represents a significant portion of Madhya Pradesh’s state budget and requires careful fiscal management to ensure sustainability without compromising other developmental priorities.
The state government has projected that the scheme will cost over ₹20,450 crore in the fiscal year 2025-26. As the amount scales up to ₹3,000 by 2028, the annual expenditure could potentially reach ₹45,000-47,000 crore, depending on the number of beneficiaries at that time (accounting for women aging out at 60 and new beneficiaries joining at age 21).
To fund this massive welfare initiative, the Madhya Pradesh government will need to maintain robust tax collection, optimize central government transfers under various schemes, and potentially reallocate resources from other budget heads. Critics have questioned whether such expenditure is sustainable, particularly if economic growth slows or if central transfers decrease.
Comparison with Similar Schemes in Other States
The Ladli Behna Yojana has inspired similar women-focused direct benefit transfer schemes in other BJP-ruled states. Karnataka introduced the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, offering ₹2,000 per month to women heads of households. Rajasthan launched the Ladli Laxmi Yojana, though with different eligibility criteria focused on girl child welfare rather than adult women.
At ₹1,500 per month currently and scaling to ₹3,000 by 2028, Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna Yojana will be among the most generous direct cash transfer schemes for women in India. The scale covering 1.26 crore beneficiaries also makes it one of the largest in terms of reach, potentially benefiting more than one-fifth of the state’s total population.
Implementation Challenges and E-KYC Compliance
Despite the scheme’s popularity, implementation challenges remain, particularly regarding e-KYC compliance. State officials have repeatedly urged beneficiaries who have not completed the electronic Know Your Customer process to do so immediately, as non-compliance could result in payment delays or exclusion from the enhanced benefits.
The e-KYC requirement serves multiple purposes: it helps eliminate duplicate or fraudulent beneficiaries, ensures that payments reach legitimate recipients, enables digital tracking of fund flows, and facilitates faster grievance redressal through digitized records. However, digital literacy challenges in rural and tribal areas sometimes create barriers to completing this process, requiring government outreach programs and assistance centers.
Local officials and Anganwadi workers have been mobilized to assist women in completing their e-KYC verification, particularly in remote areas where access to smartphones, internet connectivity, or biometric verification centers may be limited. The government has also established helplines and district-level support centers to address e-KYC-related issues.
Future Outlook and Long-term Vision
The Ladli Behna Yojana represents a significant experiment in using direct benefit transfers as a tool for women’s empowerment and poverty alleviation. As the scheme scales up to ₹3,000 per month by 2028, its impact on household economics, women’s autonomy, child welfare indicators, and overall social development will become clearer through longitudinal studies and impact assessments.
Women and Child Development Minister Nirmala Bhuria has articulated the government’s vision: “This scheme is not just about financial assistance, it’s about changing mindsets, empowering women to make independent decisions, and recognizing their contribution to family and society. The impact will be felt across generations”.
Whether the Ladli Behna Yojana ultimately transforms into a sustainable model for women’s economic empowerment or becomes a cautionary tale of fiscal overextension will depend on Madhya Pradesh’s economic growth trajectory, revenue generation capacity, and political commitment to maintaining these transfers even when electoral incentives diminish. For now, 1.26 crore women across the state eagerly await the November 12 transfer of their enhanced ₹1,500 installment, representing tangible progress toward greater financial security and independence.
