New Election Plan: Cash Transfers for Women in India

• Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections saw a focus on cash transfer schemes for women.

• Maharashtra’s ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ provides ₹1,500 monthly to eligible women in their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

• Jharkhand’s ‘Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana’ offers ₹1,000 financial assistance to eligible women.

• Direct cash transfer schemes are common in 14 states, covering almost a fifth of India’s adult female population.

• Reasons for this welfare genre include increased women’s presence in politics, bypassing middlemen, establishing government commitment, flattening welfare, and the state’s role in improving state capacity.