The Supreme Court will hear Naresh Balyan's plea challenging his bail denial. The Delhi High Court previously rejected his bail application in a MCOCA case. Balyan is accused of facilitating a crime syndicate run by gangster Kapil Sangwan. The high court found an active criminal nexus between
The Delhi High Court has sought responses from Abhijit Iyer Mitra and others. A Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson filed a plea alleging privacy violations. The court issued notices and summons regarding the disclosure of residential details. X, formerly Twitter
A Supreme Court Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta has banned any construction or development within 100 metres of Jojari River in Rajasthan,hearing a suo motu case on Monday (August 24, 2026). The court also prohibited hazardous industries within 500 metres of the river’s flow path
The Congress party criticises the Modi government's aggressive privatisation agenda for India's space program. They question the rationale behind weakening ISRO's capabilities and transferring its assets. Reports indicate ISRO's role in rocket development will be severely limited by this new policy
Chlorine gas leak at a water treatment plant in Nagpur shortly after midnight on Monday (August 24, 2026) sent nearby residents running for safety and left many people gasping for breath, officials said. Several people were hospitalised after the leakage occurred in a 900-kg capacity chlorine gas
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said Bengal must emerge as a major investment destination as he highlighted the state's cooperation with the Centre in defence, infrastructure and industrial development. His remarks came as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Adhikari virtually
BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has remained responsive to youth concerns and shown that political differences can be set aside to improve government systems. BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani said the Prime Minister has been attentive to the
In April 2025, the Modi government made a dramatic U-turn and announced that it would count caste in India’s next census. At the time, it made sure to take potshots at its predecessor, the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance government, for not including caste in the 2011 census
The cash handout burden and its underlying politics
As I was reporting in rural Madhya Pradesh during the 2023 Assembly elections, I saw the wind change.
Voters angered by high unemployment rate and driven by anti-incumbency had declared that they wanted the Bharatiya Janata Party government to be removed. But incredibly right before the polls, the mood shifted.
BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the chief minister at the time, announced a monthly payout scheme for women called Ladli Behen, or dear sister. This enabled the Hindutva party to win comfortably.
It is not unusual for political parties in power to announce social welfare schemes such as free public transport or concessions on electricity bills.
But sometimes, there is a harsh price to pay. For instance, Maharashtra's Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme, similar to Chauhan's Ladli Behen, is having a crushing impact on other welfare programmes.
The Maharashtra government did not seem to have accounted for the massive financial burden sustaining the scheme would create. Or if it did, it chose to completely ignore this.
Vilas Chaskar, an auto rickshaw driver I met during a reporting trip, had a simple explanation for where the Maharashtra government had gone wrong.
Chaskar said that he plans his monthly budget for food based on the amount he earns.
“You can't spend more than what you earn,” he said. “The government did exactly that.”
The Ladki Bahin scheme was announced by the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party group, four months before the Assembly polls in 2024.
The scheme provides a monthly bank transfer of Rs 1,500 to women with a family income less than Rs 2.5 lakh.
Everyone, including men, rushed to register for it. And the government enrolled them seemingly without adequate checks.
By October 2024, there were 2.3 crore beneficiaries of the scheme – half of the registered women voters in Maharashtra.
In November, the Mahayuti won 230 of the 288 seats in the polls.
“Sarkar sabko khush karne gayi,” Chaskar said. “Ye nahi dekha ki paisa kitna lagega.” The government tried to please everyone. It did not consider the money that would be required.
Chaskar's monthly budget depended on a subsidised meal for Rs 10 under the Maharashtra government's Shivbhojan scheme.
But since January, funds meant for Shivbhojan are being diverted towards Ladki Bahin, forcing many meal centres to shut.
Chaskar is angry. But the Shivbhojan operators are angrier because their dues have not been paid for more than eight months. Some have been pushed into deep debt.
Earlier this month, Maharashtra's Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal admitted that Ladki Bahin had hurt other welfare and social security schemes in the state.
“One thing is sure that all departments are facing the fund crunch,” he told reporters.
Bhujbal even indicated that he may have to shut down some schemes.
Shivbhojan is not the only scheme to be hurt. To keep Ladki Bahin afloat, funds meant for schemes under the departments for tribal welfare, social justice and special assistance, and food and civil supplies have been diverted towards the women and child development department.
Earlier this year, the state's Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare announced that the government suspected 26 lakh beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin scheme were ineligible and launched a scrutiny initiative across the state.
So far, the state has confirmed more than 90,000 beneficiaries were indeed ineligible but had received money under the scheme for a year. Among them were 14,000 men. That is Rs 162 crore of taxpayers' money.
But the state has not taken any action to recover the money.
Municipal and panchayat elections are coming up and the Mahayuti needs the Ladki Bahin scheme more than ever. As a result, the government budgeted Rs 36,000 crore for this scheme for the financial year 2025-'26.
The attempt to woo women voters seems to be the new winning formula across the country.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the voting percentage among women, at 65.8%, surpassed that of men. The share of women in the electorate had risen to 48.6%.
More women are coming out to vote and political parties are trying to capitalise on this.
So it is not surprising that with Assembly polls in Bihar scheduled for November, all parties are eyeing the state's women voters.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav has promised a Rs 30,000 salary every month to Jeevika workers, who play the role of community mobilisers, and Rs 2,500 monthly aid to women under the Mai Bahin Maan Yojana. The ruling National Democratic Alliance is trying to woo voters with a one-time financial support of Rs 10,000 to build women entrepreneurship.
While the rise of women voters is a cause for celebration, it is also a worrying trend. Free money in their bank accounts may encourage many to sit at home and to choose not to work.
Anita Madale of the Savitri Phule Mahila Bachat Gath self-help group views this as a “bribe”. “The government should instead encourage employment,” she told me.
But others are only too happy to receive the Ladki Bahin handout. Among them is Bharti Gaware, a domestic worker in Mumbai.
When Maharashtra began scrutinising beneficiaries and made e-KYC mandatory, Gaware rushed to her bank and paid the staff a bribe of Rs 200 to get her KYC done quickly. She did not want to miss out on a single instalment.
“I know this scheme will eventually end,” she told me. “But why should we not get the maximum benefit from it?”
Who can issue a blocking order? The Union government amended the 2021 Information Technology Rules to specify which authorities can seek the removal of content posted online. Now, take-down or blocking directions can be issued only by a court of competent jurisdiction or by a government official not below the rank of joint secretary or director.
For police requests, the officer must be at least a deputy inspector general. Further all such orders must be written and reasoned.
Earlier, any “appropriate government or its agency” could issue such orders.
This came against the backdrop of an ongoing legal dispute involving social media platform X, which had challenged the Centre and state governments in the Karnataka High Court over content takedown orders issued under the IT Act.
X has argued that many of these notices lacked proper reasoning and did not follow due procedure. The High Court dismissed the plea in September, saying social media platforms cannot have unchecked freedom. X is now preparing to appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court.
What Delhi is breathing. The air quality in Delhi and neighbouring cities was in the “very poor” category for at least three days last week. Several areas in the national capital reported worse Air Quality Index of more than 400, falling in the “severe” range.
Pollution spiked around Diwali celebrations on Monday, during which several residents lit firecrackers. On Tuesday, Delhi's PM2.5 concentration was over 23 times the World Health Organization's safe limit.
This came after the Supreme Court on October 15 permitted the sale and use of green firecrackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region during Diwali, subject to conditions.
Air quality deteriorates sharply in the winter months in Delhi, some of the reasons being crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana, the lighting of firecrackers, vehicular pollution, falling temperatures and decreased wind speeds.
Stopped for? Francesca Orsini, a Hindi scholar and professor at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, was allegedly stopped by the immigration authorities from entering India despite having a valid five-year visa. She had arrived in Delhi from Hong Kong after attending an academic conference in China.
The scholar said that no reason had been provided for the denial. Reports quoted unidentified government officials as saying that Orsini was “regularly violating” visa conditions.
Orsini, an undergraduate in Hindi from Venice University in Italy, studied in New Delhi at the Central Institute of Hindi and Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Prachi Gupta writes about how Orsini's work illuminates India's language politics – past and present.
Follow the Scroll channel on WhatsApp for a curated selection of the news that matters throughout the day, and a round-up of major developments in India and around the world every evening. What you won't get: spam.
And, if you haven't already, sign up for our Daily Brief newsletter.
Source: Scroll
Related Posts: Politics, India, ladki bahin, ladli behen, ladli bahin scheme maharashtra, welfare schemes, women welfare schemes, women scheme bihar, women voters, women voters cash schemes
Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana has sparked outrage after footage emerged of him leaving the dais during the National Anthem. Opposition leaders have called for his apology, questioning his respect for national sentiments. In his defense
15 hours ago
The upkeep of Delhi's iconic Lutyens bungalows, now nearly a century old, is becoming increasingly expensive - annual expenditure on the renovation, furnishing and repair of the official residences of Union Ministers touched a record high of ₹92.35 crore in 2025-26
1 days ago
Industrialist Gautam Adani met Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar for an hour. Sources described the meeting as a courtesy visit while returning to the airport. The meeting occurred amid a proposed tunnel road project for which Adani Enterprises is the lowest bidder
1 days ago
Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda has clarified his statements regarding Sajjan Kumar's death, denying he ever referred to the former MP as a role model. He underscored his family's long-standing opposition to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, firmly reiterating their commitment to advocating for the rights and
1 days ago
A project in Assam to improve the quality of an elephant habitat could turn a botanical liability into a carbon-rich asset. For decades, Assam Forest Department officials have struggled to deal with at least half a dozen invasive alien plants (IAPs) that have been constricting local vegetation and
1 days ago
At a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Union ministers were handed report cards. They were not being assessed for their performance as ministers but on how active and effective they have been on social media. Each minister was ranked based on an evaluation of their social media presence between May 1
1 days ago
The Indian Overseas Congress USA Telangana Chapter voiced disappointment over denied political clearance for Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's US trip. The Ministry of External Affairs cited the program's inappropriateness for the office held by the Chief Minister
1 days ago
Expressing her firm stance, Mayawati, the BSP chief, has rejected the idea of substituting caste-based reservations with economic ones, arguing that it would harm the broader national interest. She pointed to constitutional protections for historically marginalized groups and condemned Congress
1 days ago
Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatro Ki Goonj' program focused on young women in Pune. Congress leaders stated the program's message reached Delhi, causing visible panic. Supriya Shrinate highlighted the platform provided for women to voice their concerns. Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol criticized the program
1 days ago
Prime Minister Modi met the BJP's new national office-bearers, stressing public connection and organizational strength. The party announced a nationwide 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' from September 17 to October 17. This campaign aims to spread the spirit of service associated with Modi's public life
1 days ago
Sikh leaders protested outside Rahul Gandhi's residence on Saturday. They demanded an apology for Congress leaders' remarks about Sajjan Kumar. Sajjan Kumar, convicted in the 1984 riots, recently passed away. Protesters stated that such statements reopened old wounds for families
2 days ago
The Bharatiya Janata Party passed a resolution defending Vande Mataram's national status. This action strongly condemned the Congress Working Committee's recent decision regarding the song. The BJP affirmed the constitutional and statutory protection of the complete National Song
2 days ago
BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Saturday (August 22, 2026) held the first meeting with the party's newly appointed national office-bearers to discuss poll strategy and grassroots outreach, party sources said. The meeting focused on preparations for upcoming State Assembly elections
2 days ago
Two workers were killed and 11 others were injured in a reactor blast in a pharmaceutical firm in Dothigudem in Pochampally in Yadadri district late on Friday (August 21, 2026) night. The factory is about 50 km from Hyderabad. According to police officials
2 days ago
The Supreme Court has redefined the term 'industry' for new labor cases. This ruling will not affect past or pending cases under the old law. The Congress party expressed concern over this significant change. They believe it weakens essential safeguards for many workers
2 days ago
BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan accused Congress of appeasement politics regarding the Vande Mataram song. He stated the party's true face has been exposed to the nation. West Bengal Congress President Subhankar Sarkar rejected these allegations from the BJP
2 days ago
Claiming that “rule of law” prevails in Bengal now with the new BJP government in power, Shah said the previous government did not implement BNS in Bengal so that they could promote cut money, syndicate raj and corruption. He praised CM Suvendu Adhikari who has fulfilled 43% of the poll
2 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged faster reforms and greater ease of living. He expressed confidence that a stable India will contribute to world stability. India has been an oasis of political stability amidst global fluctuations. The government is committed to uplifting the youth, farmers
2 days ago
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday asked the Union government to provide a legislative assurance that any state’s representation in Parliament will not reduce due to the delimitation exercise, The New Indian Express reported
2 days ago
Welcome to The India Fix by Shoaib Daniyal. A newsletter on Indian politics. As always, if you’ve been sent this newsletter and like it, to get it in your inbox every week, sign up here (click on “follow”). “I was never involved in corruption
2 days ago
A Congress delegation petitioned the Election Commission regarding voter list irregularities. They alleged eligible voters' names were struck off electoral rolls. People were declared absent and young individuals marked deceased without cause. Notices were not reaching recipients
3 days ago
Karnataka's Chief Minister DK Shivakumar urged the Southern Zonal Council to retain the 1971 census for delimitation. He also requested maintaining the Lok Sabha's strength at 543 for the next twenty-five years. Shivakumar sought to accommodate women's quota within the existing strength without
3 days ago
Farmers in Karnataka's Cauvery basin intensified protests on Thursday, opposing water release to Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery Water Management Authority ordered Karnataka to release water, which Tamil Nadu seeks to enforce. Protesters questioned the decision
4 days ago
Journalist Tarun Tejpal, former editor of Tehelka magazine, on Thursday (August 20, 2026) appealed in the Supreme Court against the August 6, 2026, judgment of the Bombay High Court sentencing him to 10 years imprisonment in a 2013 rape case. His appeal comes as the State of Goa
4 days ago
The Congress Working Committee adopted a resolution addressing key national concerns. Youth unemployment and numerous paper leaks were highlighted as critical issues. Allegations of financial irregularities in Ram temple donations were also raised
4 days ago
Manipur Congress chief O Ibobi Singh stated the Centre can resolve state issues quickly. Civil society groups are petitioning Union ministers for NRC updation before the Census. They aim to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and other key leaders. Students also protested
4 days ago
KPCC president Sunny Joseph stated the ED probe findings against Veena T are not political witch-hunting. He noted the CPI(M) has not denied the facts revealed by the agency. The Enforcement Directorate seized handwritten notes and digital devices during searches
4 days ago
