Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) As the opposition sought to corner the Mahayuti government over its poll promise of hiking stipend under the Ladki Bahin Yojana to Rs 2,100, a Maharashtra cabinet minister on Wednesday said the implementation of an election manifesto is for five years.

Speaking in the Legislative Council, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare asserted the government will certainly fulfil its promise of raising the monthly stipend, but refrained from saying when that decision will be taken.

She refuted the charge that new parameters were being formulated to make beneficiaries ineligible for the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which women from financially weak background are currently given Rs 1,500 per month by the government.

"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has never stated that Rs 2,100 (promised by ruling alliance before polls) will be announced in this year's budget (to be presented on March 10) or during the ongoing budget session (which ends on March 26)," Tatkare said in response to a Calling Attention Motion.

"We will 100 per cent give (fulfil the promise of raising the stipend to Rs 2,100). (Process of implementation of) manifesto is for five years. When the government, CM and Dy CMs and the cabinet takes a decision, we will present such a proposal to the government," Tatkare said.

A flagship scheme of the previous Eknath Shinde government, the ruling Mahayuti had promised to raise the monthly amount of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 if it came to power after the November 2024 assembly polls. The popular scheme, introduced in the state budget in June last year, is credited with contributing significantly to the BJP-led ruling coalition's mega victory in the November polls.

Tatkare informed the House that instalments for February and March under the scheme will be transferred to eligible beneficiaries' bank accounts on March 8 to coincide with International Women's Day.

The Opposition targeted the government and claimed beneficiaries were being made ineligible citing new guidelines that they were seeking benefits from other schemes.

Tatkare clarified no action will be taken against beneficiaries who have received the monthly instalment of Rs 1,500, but were later found ineligible for the scheme.

She said women in the age group of 21-65 years are eligible for the scheme. So, those crossing 65 years of age will stand ineligible for the scheme.

Tatkare said Ladki Bahin Yojana form has a self-declaration section where the beneficiary has to state that she was not taking benefit of any other scheme sponsored by the government.

"This guideline was there since the beginning of the scheme," the minister noted.

Satej Patil (Congress) accused the government of "cheating" the beneficiaries by making them ineligible.

He said the government is not announcing the date for raising the stipend to Rs 2,100 as promised during the polls last year.

"Ladki Bahins (beloved sisters) were real before the polls. Have they become step-sisters now?" Patil asked.

The Congress legislator emphasised the scheme was brought by the ruling coalition after it suffered reverses in Maharashtra in the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

Shashikant Shinde (NCP-SP) said if money was disbursed to ineligible beneficiaries then it is akin to government committed dacoity on its own treasury.

Putting out statistics, Tatkare said when the first instalment was disbursed to beneficiaries, it reached 1.59 crore women in August. The number rose to 2.20 crore beneficiaries in September, 2.33 crore in October and 2.45 crore in December.

On March 8, instalments of February and March will be disbursed to 2.52 crore beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer, she said.

The minister hit back at the opposition and said they feared that the scheme started by the Mahayuti would hurt them in polls so they promised to pay Rs 3,000 per month if elected even as they raised the issue of fiscal prudence. PTI PR RSY