Bhopal | The Madhya Pradesh government will soon provide cows at subsidised rates to the beneficiaries of its flagship 'Ladli Behna' scheme to boost the state's milk production and empower women, minister Lakhan Patel claimed on Thursday.
Under the popular 'Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana', women beneficiaries receive a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 in MP.
"Women beneficiaries under the Ladli Behna yojana will be given cows at subsidised rates. The government will soon introduce a scheme to increase the state's milk production," Patel, MP's Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Animal Husbandry and Dairying, told PTI Videos.
"I have requested the chief minister… (to extend the subsidised cow scheme to the beneficiaries of the Ladli Behna programme). This is a great plan, and CM Mohan Yadav will announce it soon," he said.
The decision will enhance milk production in MP and also financially empower women, he said. "Only when we have more milk-producing cows and buffaloes will we become a milk hub," he said.
According to the Centre's data released in November 2025, Madhya Pradesh was the third-largest milk-producing state in India, after Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Senior Congress leader Manak Agarwal described the move as an election-driven gimmick. The term of the current MP assembly is scheduled to end in December 2028.
"As elections approach, these people will start fooling the innocent. The then chief minister Shivraj Singh had promised to give Rs 3,000 under Ladli Behna, which has not yet happened. They will not do any important work. They will only give excuses," Agarwal said.
According to officials, the Ladli Behna scheme has become a foundation of economic security, confidence and respect in the lives of women. Regular financial assistance has increased participation of women in family decision-making, improved nutrition and health levels, and strengthened the economic role of women in both rural and urban areas, an official said.
Since its launch in June 2023, the government has transferred a total of Rs 55,926.51 crore to 1.22 crore women beneficiaries through 35 monthly instalments up to April 2026, the official said
