Women, even those less educated amongst us, refuse to settle for the illusion of progress, or shiny trinkets and demand genuine empowerment. Schemes like Ladli Laxmi Yojana when implemented with admirable consistency as in Madhya Pradesh bear fruit and serve as a lesson for all political leaders.
Women empowerment is a sacred flame that should never be diminished to mere political rhetoric or empty assurances. It is disheartening to witness how it has been manipulated, diluted, and reduced to shallow tactics in the pursuit of short-term political gains. The allure of superficial offerings, like a free saree or a pressure cooker, may momentarily satisfy, but they do little to ignite the true potential or transform the lives of women.
For far too long, women have silently accepted these token gestures, rarely questioning their true value or impact. Society has conditioned them to be grateful for meagre benefits while their dreams and aspirations remain confined within the walls of patriarchal norms and the constraints of poverty. But the tides are turning, and initiatives like Madhya Pradesh’s Mukhyamantri Ladli Laxmi Yojana have played a significant role in bringing about positive change.
Education is pivotal to women’s empowerment, yet it remains a right that is denied to many of India’s daughters. A comprehensive study by the Madhya Pradesh administration, supported by UNICEF and IFMR, Chennai, reveals that 90% of the Ladli Yojana’s impact has been on education. With academic milestones linked to the disbursement of funds, families are encouraged to continue their daughter’s education till the age of 21, when she gets Rs 1 lakh. Another side effect is delaying marriage till the age of 21 so that the girl child receives the full amount promised in the scheme. Furthermore for the most part families, especially those that fall in the BPL category, do not view the birth of a girl child as an additional burden. The gender ratio has markedly improved since the introduction of the scheme, and the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data corroborates this. “According to NFHS 2015-16 (NFHS-4), the overall sex ratio in the state (females per 1,000 males) was 948, which has increased to 970 in NFHS 2019-21 (NHFS-5). The Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB)2 for children born in the last five years has not only improved during NFHS-5 (956 from 927 during NFHS-4), but it is also better than the all-India average of 929”.
This is an incredible achievement and sets a standard for other states. The program, Mukhyamantri Ladli Laxmi Yojana, as the name suggests, is helmed by the pragmatic and empathetic Chief Minister—Shivraj Singh Chouhan also known as Mamaji, ie mother’s brother. The endearment is telling and precedes our times of manufactured narratives and image makovers. Now in his fourth stint as Chief Minister, CM Chouhan is the longest serving CM of Madhya Pradesh, which has seen prominent leadership in the past. With 16 years in office barring a few breaks in the middle, it has been an intriguing bond between Mamaji and the people, especially the women of Madhya Pradesh, one that is marked by brief episodes of boredom but never dislike or the dreaded anti-incumbency. It is a remarkable political achievement, but that analysis is for another day. The purpose of this column is to analyse the impact of true women’s empowerment when it comes to forging a political bond with the female voter.
Today more than ever, women are awakening to their own potential and realizing the strength of their collective voice. No longer content with temporary gratification, they yearn for substantive change that lasts and which will enhance their lives and create lasting opportunities for their futures and also the futures of their daughters. Women, even those less educated amongst us, refuse to settle for the illusion of progress, or shiny trinkets and demand genuine empowerment. Schemes like Ladli Laxmi Yojana when implemented with admirable consistency as in Madhya Pradesh bear fruit and serve as a lesson for all political leaders. Admittedly CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan aka Mamaji has had the time in office to track and implement the scheme and it has been his personal priority, but there is no reason why a five-year term is not enough to bring about a dramatic change, even if it is not as quantifiable as MP. From his earliest days in politics, CM Chouhan even before he got the top job has always laid a special emphasis on schemes focused on the empowerment of women, from adopting the education of the girl child to the ambitious Ladli Laxmi Yojana, earning him his unique and affectionate moniker. As he heads into election season, CM Chouhan has launched the Ladli Behena Yojana for women aged 23 to 60 years old. On 10 June, the funds were released into the accounts of the women of Madhya Pradesh, who are eligible for the Rs 1,000 monthly allowance for miscellaneous expenses and personal use. This could have been called electoral gimmickry if Chouhan had not so consistently delivered on the Mukhyamantri Ladli Laxmi Yojana. In his case this new initiative is an attempt to place financial freedom and choice in the hands of the women who most need it and for many who have never experienced it. It is to push the envelope on what a government can do for women. The launch of this scheme would be a personally gratifying experience for Mamaji, far removed from politics, the inclusion of behanas is continuation of his pact with the women of MP. The whimsy of electoral success is not worth dwelling on, but it is undeniable and something even his political critics will concede that Mamaji is cherished by lakhs and lakhs of ladlis and behenas. And that, unlike political seasons, won’t change.