6 months ago
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A full of 12 States crossed India volition collectively walk ₹1.68 lakh crore connected unconditional currency transportation schemes for women successful 2025-26, up from conscionable 2 States implementing specified programmes 3 years ago, according to a caller study by deliberation vessel PRS Legislative Research.
The study said six of these 12 States person projected a gross shortage this year, highlighting increasing fiscal unit linked to the accelerated enlargement of women-centric payment payouts.
“Among the 12 States implementing UCT schemes, six person estimated a gross shortage successful 2025-26. However, adjusting the gross equilibrium to exclude spending connected UCT schemes shows an betterment successful fiscal indicators of these States,” the study said.
Unconditional currency transportation (UCT) schemes, which purpose to empower women from economically weaker households done monthly nonstop payment payments, person go a cardinal payment diagnostic successful respective States.
The fig of States providing mostly unconditional currency transfers (UCT) to women has accrued from 2 States successful 2022-23 to 12 States successful 2025-26.
The superior beneficiaries of these schemes are selected connected the ground of an income threshold, property group, and different factors.
States specified arsenic Assam and West Bengal person sharply accrued their allocations to women’s UCTs implicit the erstwhile twelvemonth by 31% and 15%, respectively.
Crucial initiatives see Tamil Nadu’s Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam, Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna Yojana, and Karnataka’s Gruha Lakshmi scheme, each offering monthly enactment ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 for women successful eligible households.
However, the study cautioned that these schemes are adding strain to State budgets.
Adjusted fiscal estimates amusement that Karnataka, for example, would determination from a gross shortage of 0.6% of its GSDP to a surplus of 0.3% if the UCT expenditure were excluded. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh’s surplus would amended from 0.4% to 1.1%.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had earlier warned that rising expenditure connected subsidies and currency transfers for women, youth, and farmers could trim fiscal abstraction for productive spending.
Some States person already adjusted benefits to negociate costs. Maharashtra chopped monthly payouts nether the CM Ladki Bahin Yojana successful April 2025, portion Jharkhand accrued payments nether the CM Maiyan Samman Yojana to ₹2,500 per period successful precocious 2024.
