BHOPAL/Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday transferred Rs 2,148 crore to the bank accounts of more than 1.25 crore beneficiaries under the state’s Ladli Behna scheme, including the 39th monthly instalment and a special Raksha Bandhan gift of Rs 250.
The beneficiaries received Rs 1,750 each under the scheme from Maihar, where Yadav addressed a state-level Ladli Behna conference. The chief minister said women’s dignity, welfare and economic empowerment remained the government’s top priorities.
“Raksha Bandhan comes once a year, but our government fulfils its promise of protecting sisters every month,” Yadav said, adding that women were the “pride of our homes” and that the monthly assistance was helping them meet their household needs.
Since the launch of the Ladli Behna scheme in June 2023, the state government has transferred Rs 63,248 crore to beneficiaries through 39 instalments up to August 2026. The government has earmarked Rs 23,882.81 crore for the scheme in the 2026-27 financial year.
Yadav said the state Cabinet had decided to continue the scheme for another five years, during which more than Rs 1.14 lakh crore would be transferred to women beneficiaries. He said women were also being encouraged to become economically independent through self-help groups.
The government, he added, would provide an additional Rs 5,000 benefit to women employed in labour-intensive industries.
At the event, Yadav announced a series of development projects for Maihar, including a 132-KVA power substation at Badera, a modern stadium at a cost of Rs 25 crore, renovation of Lilji reservoir at Rs 50 crore and construction of a large multi-facility hospital.
He also announced a 5,000-cattle-capacity gaushala, an ITI at Ghughwara and upgradation of a school there. Committees of Alha singers participating in the conference will receive a cash award of Rs 25,000 each.
The chief minister also laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the Maa Sharda Lok in Maihar, estimated to cost around Rs 9 crore. He said the government had resolved to develop major religious sites across Madhya Pradesh following the development of Mahakal Lok in Ujjain.
Referring to the Ram Van Gaman Path and development works in Chitrakoot, Yadav said projects worth Rs 3,000 crore had been approved for the region, including measures to maintain the uninterrupted flow of the Mandakini river.
Yadav also said the state government was intensifying its campaign against drug abuse following the elimination of Left Wing Extremism in the state. He said liquor shops had been shut at 19 religious places and appealed to families to maintain dialogue with children to protect them from addiction.
On agriculture, the chief minister said the government was expanding irrigation facilities under the ongoing Kisan Kalyan Varsh. Farmers in the Vindhya region would benefit from water supplied through the Bargi canal, while arrangements were being made to provide electricity for irrigation during the day as well as at night, he said.
Yadav said the government had also passed a resolution to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.
During the programme, the chief minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 25 development works worth more than Rs 256 crore in Maihar district. These included a Sandipani school at a cost of Rs 48.24 crore, a government college building at Tala costing Rs 7.58 crore and a 30-seat boys’ hostel and residential facility at Amarpatan costing Rs 3.44 crore.
He also inaugurated road projects costing Rs 21.11 crore and more than 1,000 works under the Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan in Maihar, Amarpatan and Ramnagar, costing over Rs 19 crore.
Foundation stones were laid for 12 projects costing Rs 151.30 crore, including the Rs 54-crore Dhanwahi micro-irrigation project in Maihar, which is expected to irrigate around 3,500 hectares. A Sandipani school in Ramnagar, costing Rs 41 crore, was also among the projects.
Yadav began his visit by offering prayers at the Maa Sharda Bhawani temple in Maihar before attending the conference at the Ustad Alauddin Khan Stadium. Hockey players Ananya Avadhiya and Unnati Pandey joined him during the transfer of funds to the beneficiaries’ accounts.
Panchayat and Rural Development Minister of State and Maihar district in-charge minister Radha Singh said the district had received a major development package ahead of Raksha Bandhan, including the first-phase works of Maa Sharda Lok.
Local BJP MP Ganesh Singh said the government’s development initiatives, including the Bargi canal project, would benefit Maihar and the wider Vindhya region. He also urged the state government to include Maihar and Satna districts in the tiger corridor.