India, July 31 -- After diverting over Rs.750 crore a month from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) funds to finance the vote-catching Ladki Bahin scheme, the Maharashtra government has now decided to use the same fund source for the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana (NSMNY).

An agriculture department official in the know of the developments said that the state government was facing a fund shortfall and was thus falling back on the SC/ST funds. "It will divert Rs.1,300 crore from the social justice and tribal development departments to finance this cash assistance scheme for farmers," he told HT.

The government announced NSMNY, modelled on the lines of the Centre's PM Kisan Yojana, in June 2023. Eligible farmers recei...