New Delhi: The Maharashtra government has cut down on the stipend received by eight lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.The beneficiaries would now receive Rs. 500 instead of Rs. 1,500 that they received before. The BJP-led Mahayuti government in the state has said that the stipend amount has been reduced for these beneficiaries because they were also receiving Rs. 1,000 under another govt scheme, the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi (NSMN), reported Times of India.The Ladki Bahin scheme has the stipulation that its beneficiaries can avail other government schemes only if the benefit is capped at Rs. 1,500 per month.While the state had received 2.63 crore applicants for the scheme in October last year, the number was reduced by 11 lakh to 2.52 crore after a scrutinising exercise carried over by the government.In February and March, 2.46 crore beneficiaries received the stipend.Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier said he expected the number of beneficiaries to reduce by 10-15 lakh after the scrutiny process.Maharashtra is also facing mounting debts, with the state’s debt projection being 9.3 lakh crore for 2025-26.Earlier, the outlay for the Ladki Bahin scheme was reduced from 46,000 crore to 36,000 crore in the 2025-26 budget.