Maharashtra’s Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat on Monday said that the state government cannot increase monthly financial assistance to women under the Ladki Bahin scheme to Rs 2,100, as the ruling alliance had promised ahead of last year’s Assembly election, PTI reported.

However, he said that the current amount of Rs 1,500 per month will be disbursed.

This was the first time that a state minister has publicly acknowledged that the government will not be able to fulfil its poll promise relating to the scheme.

“It is a reality that the monthly amount of Rs 1,500 cannot be raised to Rs 2,100,” PTI quoted Shirsat, a member of the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena group, as saying. “But people make an issue out of it saying the scheme will be ended or the amount will be slashed. The commitment under the Ladki Bahin scheme will be fulfilled.”

Shirsat said that his ministry has outstanding dues of nearly Rs 3,000 crore, The Indian Express reported.

“I had requested the chief minister [Devendra Fadnavis] about a month ago to consider the needs of my department empathetically and to ensure that the rightful funds are released as per the rules,” he was quoted as saying. “I have communicated this in writing and spoken to [state Finance Minister Ajit Pawar] as well.”

On May 3, Shirsat had accused the Pawar-led finance department of illegally diverting funds from his ministry without informing him.

“They had diverted Rs 7,000 crore from my department earlier [during the Budget] by keeping me in the dark,” he had said. “If the government does not want the social justice department to function or they do not want to spend money, then they should shut down this department.”

On Monday, Shirsat said that if funds continue to be diverted, several schemes could come to a halt, The Indian Express reported. He clarified that he was not opposed to the Ladki Bahin scheme, and said that it had helped the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance retain power in the polls.

Under the Ladki Bahin scheme, women between the ages of 21 to 65, whose annual family income is under Rs 2.5 lakh, receive Rs 1,500 per month in the form of direct bank transfers.

The cash transfer scheme is said to have played a crucial role in the Mahayuti alliance winning 230 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly in November. The coalition comprises the BJP, the Shinde Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Ajit Pawar.

Also read: ‘Election stunt’: Anger, confusion among Maharashtra women as Ladki Bahin payments falter