Women Empowerment in Maharashtra

Maharashtra has introduced a range of government-led initiatives to advance women’s empowerment.

Chief Minister Women Empowerment Campaign

• The Mukhymantri Mahila Sashaktikaran Abhiyan was launched on 2 Oct 2023 and will run until 1 Oct 2024 (NewsOnAir, 2023).
• The campaign aims to benefit at least 1 lakh women in each district and to train at least 10 lakh women through government departments, NGOs and training institutes (NewsOnAir, 2023).

Budget Support for Women-Centric Schemes

• In the 2023-24 state budget, the Maharashtra government allocated ₹2,843 crore to the Women and Child Development Department for schemes that promote education, skill development, health and safety for women (Free Press Journal, 2023).

Direct Benefit Schemes

• The ‘Lek Laadki’ scheme provides cash incentives to families with a girl child: ₹5,000 at birth, ₹4,000 when she enters class I, ₹6,000 at class VI and ₹8,000 at class XI. A final payment of ₹75,000 is given when the girl turns 18 (Free Press Journal, 2023).
• Women receive a 50 % discount on state transport bus fares and a 1 % concession on stamp duty for home purchases (Free Press Journal, 2023).

Digital and Agricultural Support

• The State Women’s Development Corporation (MAVIM) works with 1.8 million women in the state, including 1 million small-holder women farmers, to provide training, market linkages and access to digital agriculture tools (World Economic Forum, 2023).

Land Rights and Agency

• A 2023 study by the XKDR Forum examined women’s land ownership in Maharashtra, mapping de jure ownership and assessing control and tenure security among female landholders (XKDR Forum, 2023). The study highlights ongoing gaps in agency despite legal ownership.

Community-Based Initiatives

• The ‘Shikshanacha Punarprayas’ programme in Nagpur district enrolled 203 women for Class X examinations in the 2022-23 academic year; 164 women passed, showing the impact of targeted educational support (Nagpur Today, 2023).
• The ‘StreeRang’ event held on 25-26 Mar 2023 in Dahanu combined sports, health workshops, legal awareness and entrepreneurship sessions for over 100 women participants (Mumbai Live, 2023).

These programmes together illustrate Maharashtra’s multi-pronged approach to women’s empowerment, combining financial incentives, skill training, digital inclusion, legal awareness and direct educational support.

Sources

• Maharashtra government to run year-long women empowerment campaign (NewsOnAir, 2023)
• Maharashtra: Fourth Women’s Policy to Prioritise Gender-Inclusive Livelihood and Violence Eradication (Free Press Journal, 2023)
• Maharashtra Budget 2023: ₹2,843 crore boost for women-centric schemes (Free Press Journal, 2023)
• Leveraging tech for India’s women farmers in Maharashtra (World Economic Forum, 2023)
• Women’s ownership in land, their agency and tenure security: A case study of Maharashtra (XKDR Forum Working Paper, Sep 2023)
• Triumph of determination: 203 women defy odds to achieve academic success (Nagpur Today, Jun 2023)
• Maharashtra govt honours women achievers from Dahanu, Palghar, StreeRang event (Mumbai Live, Mar 2023)