On the eve of Raksha Bandhan, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav turned a festival into a financial milestone — disbursing more than ₹2,148 crore to over 1.25 crore women across Madhya Pradesh with a single click at a state-level event in Maihar on Wednesday, 19 August 2026. The transfer included a special Raksha Bandhan shagun (auspicious gift) of ₹250 per beneficiary bundled into the monthly instalment under the Ladli Behna Yojana.

Maihar as the stage: sisters tie the thread, CM clicks the button

The choice of Maihar — home to the revered Sharda Devi temple in Satna district — was deliberate. Beneficiaries tied raksha sutras (protective threads) on the Chief Minister's wrist and expressed gratitude for the scheme, collapsing the distance between a government transfer and a cultural ritual. The moment was as much ceremony as policy delivery.

Before the transfer, Dr. Yadav toured an exhibition of products made by women from self-help groups (SHGs), underscoring the state's parallel push to move women from passive recipients to active micro-entrepreneurs. He also received a briefing on the Maa Sharda Lok project, a development initiative linked to the Maihar region.

Ladli Behna's journey: from ₹1,000 a month to a Raksha Bandhan bonus

Ladli Behna Yojana was launched in March 2023 by then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, initially crediting ₹1,000 per month directly into the bank accounts of eligible women aged 21 to 60. The scheme became a centrepiece of the BJP's welfare pitch in the state assembly elections later that year, and Dr. Yadav — who took charge as Chief Minister in December 2023 — has continued and expanded its reach.

Aligning a special shagun disbursement with Raksha Bandhan is a calculated blend of cultural resonance and direct benefit transfer — a formula Madhya Pradesh governments have refined across multiple schemes to maximise both reach and visibility.

The bigger picture: direct cash and women's financial inclusion

With more than 1.25 crore active beneficiaries, Ladli Behna is one of the largest women-targeted direct benefit transfer programmes in any Indian state. The SHG exhibition held alongside the event signals the government's intent to layer economic agency on top of income support — giving women both a monthly credit and a market for what they produce. Whether those two tracks are deepening in tandem will be the real test of the programme's long-term impact.

The next milestone to watch: the state's position on revising the monthly benefit amount, and whether the Raksha Bandhan shagun becomes a recurring annual feature of the scheme calendar.