Outrage is brewing across community and state as the state government shamelessly diverts ₹3,960 crore from Scheduled Caste welfare schemes to fund the politically driven “Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana.” The Maharashtra State Caste Tribe Employees Welfare Federation has slammed the move as an open betrayal of Dalit rights and a gross injustice to marginalized communities.
Federation president Arun Gade minced no words in his letter to the Chief Minister, calling the diversion “disgraceful” and “a direct attack on Scheduled Castes.” He demanded the immediate return of the funds to the Social Justice Department or face statewide protests.
“This government claims to care for the backward, but it’s gutting their lifeline to score political points,” said Gade. He questioned why SC students are still stuck with just 75 foreign scholarships through BARTI, when long-standing demands for 500 have been ignored.
The numbers expose a pattern of discrimination: Between 2020 and 2025, year after year, the finance department failed to fully release even the sanctioned amounts for SC schemes. Now, in 2025–26, they’ve crossed a red line by robbing ₹3,960 crore.
The Federation has issued a final warning—restore the funds or face massive agitation. “This is not charity. This is our right,” said Gade. “And we will fight for it, on the streets if needed.”
The SC community has had enough. The battle lines are drawn.
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