By _shalini oraon
A Twist in the Tale of Empowerment: In Maharashtra, 12,431 Men Got Benefits Under Govt’s Flagship Scheme for Women
In a revelation that has sparked a complex debate on gender, policy, and poverty, data from Maharashtra’s Women and Child Development Department showed that 12,431 men were among the beneficiaries of the state’s flagship scheme for women. The initiative, the Majhi Kanya Bhagyashree scheme, is explicitly designed to promote the birth and education of the girl child and empower mothers financially. The inclusion of thousands of male beneficiaries, therefore, presents a paradoxical headline that demands a deeper look beyond the initial surprise. Is this a case of policy loopholes being exploited, or does it reflect the nuanced realities of family structures and distress in a patriarchal society?
Understanding the Intent of Majhi Kanya Bhagyashree
Launched in 2016, the Majhi Kanya Bhagyashree scheme is a conditional cash transfer program. It was conceived as a progressive tool to combat son preference, improve the skewed child sex ratio, and incentivize the education and well-being of girls. The scheme provides financial assistance to families for the birth of a girl child, with subsequent installments linked to the child’s milestones, such as vaccination, school enrollment, and continuation of education up to class 12. The monetary benefits are directly transferred to the bank account of the mother, positioning her as the primary financial decision-maker for her daughter’s future.
The philosophy is clear: to economically empower women by making them the direct beneficiaries of state support, thereby altering intra-family dynamics and investing in the girl child. In this context, the presence of male beneficiaries appears, on the surface, to be a subversion of the scheme’s core feminist objective.
The “How”: Unpacking the Circumstances Behind the Numbers
The discovery of male beneficiaries was not the result of an audit but an inherent feature of the scheme’s rules, applied in specific, tragic circumstances. The 12,431 men did not receive the benefits as fathers, but as legal guardians. Their inclusion was triggered by one of the following conditions:
1. Death of the Mother: This is the most common scenario. If the mother passes away after the birth of the girl child, the financial assistance is transferred to the father to ensure the child’s welfare is not compromised. This provision is a crucial safety net, acknowledging that the ultimate goal is the well-being of the girl, and in the absence of the mother, the father becomes the primary caregiver.
2. Abandonment or Legal Separation: If the mother has abandoned the family or is legally separated and unavailable to operate the account, the benefit is redirected to the father.
3. Disability or Incapacity of the Mother: In cases where the mother is suffering from a severe physical or mental disability that prevents her from managing the funds, the father becomes the beneficiary to act in the child’s best interest.
In essence, these men are not “beneficiaries” in the sense of being the intended targets of women’s empowerment. They are stand-in caregivers, entrusted with state funds to fulfill a responsibility that was originally designated for the mother. They are a testament to the scheme’s built-in flexibility to handle real-life adversities.
The Debate: Policy Dilution or Necessary Pragmatism?
This revelation has ignited a multifaceted debate among policymakers, gender rights activists, and social workers.
The Argument for Pragmatism and Child-Centricity:
Proponents argue that the provision is not a flaw but a strength. It demonstrates that the scheme is ultimately child-centric. “The objective is to ensure the girl child’s health and education. no matter what life throws at the family,” explains a senior official .from the WCD department, on condition of anonymity. “By allowing the father to become the beneficiary in the mother’s absence,.we are preventing the girl from being penalized for a tragedy. The scheme remains intact for her.” This view frames the men not as usurpers of a women-centric benefit,.but as obligated guardians ensuring continuity of care.
The Concerns of Dilution and Patriarchal Recapture:
On the other hand, some gender experts express concern. They argue that while the provision for exceptional circumstances is necessary.it also opens a door for the potential reassertion of patriarchal control. Dr. Aparna Sane, a sociologist based in Pune, questions, “While the intent is pragmatic, we must have robust monitoring. Is the father, now in control of the funds, using them solely for the daughter’s welfare as intended? Or does this simply transfer financial control back to the male head, albeit under tragic circumstances,.potentially undermining the economic agency the scheme sought to give the mother?”
This perspective highlights the risk of the scheme’s transformative potential being diluted if a significant number of benefits end up, by default, in male hands, even for legitimate reasons.
Beyond the Numbers: A Reflection on Society and Safety Nets
The story of these 12,431 men is more than a statistical anomaly; it is a mirror held up to societal realities.
First, it underscores the vulnerability of women. The very fact that a safety net clause for the father’s role had to be created points to the high mortality, morbidity, and precarious social position of mothers in certain socio-economic groups.
Second, it challenges our simplistic definitions of “women-centric” policies. True empowerment schemes must be resilient enough to adapt to family breakdowns and tragedies without losing their core focus. The presence of these male beneficiaries forces a conversation about whether empowerment is about benefiting a biological category (women) or about achieving a societal outcome (the empowerment of girls, through whichever legal guardian is available).
Third, it calls for enhanced transparency and accountability. The government must ensure that these cases are closely monitored. Are the girls in these households staying in school? Are they healthy? The onus is on the administration to track outcomes, not just disbursements, to ensure the scheme’s original goals are being met even when the beneficiary is male.
Conclusion: A Necessary Complexity in the Quest for Equality
The case of the 12,431 men in Maharashtra’s women’s scheme is a powerful reminder that public policy operates in the messy, complex real world, not in a theoretical vacuum. It is not a simple story of men “taking advantage” of a scheme for women. Instead, it is a more nuanced narrative about safeguarding a girl child’s future in the face of family tragedy.
While the heart of the Majhi Kanya Bhagyashree scheme remains firmly in the right place—championing the girl child and her mother—this revelation highlights the critical need for vigilant implementation and a continuous evaluation of outcomes. The ultimate success of the scheme will not be judged by the purity of its beneficiary list, but by the health, education, and empowerment of every single girl it was designed to uplift, regardless of whether the money flows through her mother’s hands or, in times of dire need, her father’s.
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