Maharashtra Budget: ₹1,500/month grant for women, cut in fuel cess, free gas cylinders & other key announcements

Months ahead of the high-stake assembly elections in the state, the Maharashtra government on Friday, June 28, rolled out a populist budget that includes a monthly allowance for eligible women, fee waiver for girls belonging to the underprivileged group, and cut in cess to bring down the fuel prices in main cities.

One of the top highlights was the rollout of 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' – on lines of a similar scheme introduced in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh last year – that makes women under the poverty line, aged between 21 and 60, eligible for a monthly allowance of ₹1,500.

An annual budgetary allocation of ₹46,000 crore was announced for the implementation of the scheme.

The budget was presented for the fiscal year 2024-25 by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who claimed that the state has set a target to become a $1 trillion economy by FY28. Presently, the state's gross domestic product (GDP) stands at $435 billion.

Here are the other key announcements:

Fee waiver for OBC, EWS girls

An amount of Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for waiving the education fees of girls belonging to the Other Backward Class (OBC) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS). Around 2 lakh girls are expected to benefit from the scheme.

Five free gas cylinders

In another populist move, Pawar said the government would increase the number of free gas cylinders to five per year, from three at present. The cylinders are provided to households who are eligible for the same, based on their income, under the 'Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana'.

Petrol, diesel to become cheaper

Fuel prices would be increased in some of the cities in Maharashtra, as the state government has decided to slash cess, Pawar announced. In Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, the cess on diesel will be slashed to 21% from 24%, and on petrol to 25% from 26%.

Increase in healthcare cover

Under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, the health cover for the eligible section of the population has been increased to ₹5 lakh, from ₹1.5 lakh at present.

Electricity bill waiver for farmers

In a relief to nearly 45 lakh farmers of the state, the Maharashtra government has decided to waive the electricity bill for cultivators using pumps up to 7.5 HP.

Subsidy for milk farmers

For milk producers, a subsidy of ₹5 per litre for cow milk will be rolled out from July 1, Pawar said. This is expected to benefit nearly 2.93 lakh cow milk producers in the state.

₹10,000 monthly stipend for skilled youth

The state finance minister announced the CM Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana, a skill development program to provide a monthly stipend of ₹10,000 to the youth. The government expects around 10 lakh youth to benefit from the scheme.