Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav made a light-hearted remark about the financial burden of the Ladli Behna scheme while interacting with a 12-year-old Bundeli content creator at the Bundeli Samagam in Bhopal. Responding to a question from Binnu Rani, Yadav said the scheme had turned out to be “very expensive” and joked that he had not realised how much becoming chief minister would affect him financially. The exchange took place at Ravindra Bhawan during the three-day Bundeli Samagam, which brought together young content creators and influencers from the Bundelkhand region.

Binnu Rani, a Bundeli creator from Chhatarpur, asked Yadav what he planned to do for the “binnus”, or daughters, of women whom the government had supported through various welfare initiatives. She referred to schemes such as Ladli Behna while asking about benefits for the next generation. Yadav responded in a humorous tone, saying the issue was an “inside matter” and recalling that the monthly assistance under Ladli Behna had initially started at ₹1,000. He added that the government had subsequently increased the amount and was now providing ₹1,500 per month to eligible women.

The chief minister's remarks came as part of an informal interaction at the cultural gathering and were not accompanied by any announcement of a reduction, withdrawal or change in the Ladli Behna scheme. Yadav told the young creator that she was still too young to be eligible for the scheme and joked that she should grow older before receiving its benefits. Reports from the event said the comments prompted laughter and applause from those present.

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The Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana was announced on January 28, 2023, by the then Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government and formally launched on March 5 that year. The first instalment was released in June 2023, when eligible women were provided ₹1,000 per month. The monthly assistance was later increased, with the current regular payment standing at ₹1,500. The scheme is aimed at providing direct financial assistance to eligible women in Madhya Pradesh.

The scale of the programme has made it one of Madhya Pradesh's major welfare initiatives. In September 2026, the state government transferred the 40th instalment of the scheme, amounting to more than ₹1,835 crore, to the bank accounts of around 1.25 crore women beneficiaries. The latest instalment was part of the government's continuing direct-benefit transfers under the scheme.

The interaction at the Bundeli Samagam also focused on the region's language, culture, youth and development. More than 300 young content creators were reported to have attended the event, where Yadav spoke about preserving Bundeli language and cultural traditions while encouraging young people to contribute to the development of Madhya Pradesh. His Ladli Behna comment, however, drew particular attention because of its reference to the financial scale of the flagship women's welfare programme.

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