'Social justice, tribal department funds cut; given to Ladki Yojana'

MUMBAI: Financial strain caused by Mahayuti's Ladki Bahin Yojana appears to be showing in reduced allocations for some welfare departments in the budget.

Red-flagging this, Shiv Sena's social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat said, "My information is that nearly Rs 10,000 crore - Rs 7,000 crore from social justice and Rs 3,000 crore from tribal development - has been diverted for Ladki Bahin."

While funds for SC and ST components were hiked 40-42% in the overall annual plan, social justice, tribal development and other backward Bahujan welfare departments saw a drop.

A top bureaucrat confirmed the reallocation of funds from the social justice and tribal development departments for the Ladki Bahin scheme. "Funds must have been transferred for SC/ST beneficiaries under the scheme," the bureaucrat said in a message to TOI.