The Madhya Pradesh Government has announced that it is planning to extend the Bhavantar Yojana to mustard farmers so as to compensate them for the difference between the government procurement price and the market price. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in the Legislative Assembly during the ongoing Budget Session. The issue gained further political significance as the House also witnessed sharp exchanges and a Congress walkout over the demand to reopen registrations under the Ladli Behna Scheme.
The proposed extension of the Bhavantar Scheme to mustard farmers is significant because it reflects an attempt by the State Government to address the issue of price deficiency compensation in agriculture. As stated in the input, the scheme already benefits soybean farmers in Madhya Pradesh by paying them the difference when the crop is sold below the government-declared MSP or procurement price. The proposed expansion to mustard indicates a wider use of this mechanism for protecting farmers against adverse market conditions.
The announcement becomes important in the present agricultural context because mustard acreage has increased by 28% compared to the previous year. The Chief Minister also noted that, according to the second advance estimate, mustard production is expected to reach 15.71 lakh metric tonne. This makes mustard an increasingly important crop in the State’s agricultural landscape. In such a situation, when production rises but market prices remain lower than the procurement benchmark, farmers may face reduced returns despite higher output.
The price gap highlighted in the input explains the rationale behind the scheme. The market price of mustard was said to be between ₹5,500 and ₹6,000 per quintal until January, whereas the Union Government-set procurement price stood at ₹6,200 per quintal. This difference is crucial because it directly affects farm income. By compensating the gap, the proposed extension of the Bhavantar mechanism seeks to ensure a more remunerative return to mustard cultivators.The Chief Minister also linked the earlier implementation of the scheme for soybean farmers with two broader objectives. First, it provided relief to farmers during the soybean crisis. Second, it helped keep agricultural markets active, as crops were not being diverted exclusively to government procurement centres. This argument suggests that the Bhavantar model is seen not only as an income support mechanism but also as a means of maintaining the vitality of market-based agricultural trade.
Another significant dimension is the expected scale of benefit. The State Government has sent a proposal to the Union Government, and the move is expected to benefit around 80 lakh farmers. This indicates that the proposal is not marginal in scope; rather, it has the potential to affect a large number of cultivators and thereby influence the broader rural economy of the State.
Alongside the farm support issue, the proceedings in the Assembly also highlighted the political centrality of the Ladli Behna Scheme. Congress MLAs demanded that fresh registrations be opened for women who have entered the eligible age bracket. In response, the Minister for Women and Child Development, Nirmala Bhuria, stated that no proposal for new registration is under consideration at present. This triggered protests and eventually a walkout by Congress MLAs.
The controversy around Ladli Behna is politically important because the scheme remains one of the State Government’s flagship welfare programmes. It was launched in March 2023 by the then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with a monthly amount of ₹1,000, which was raised to ₹1,250 in October 2023. The current government under Mohan Yadav increased the allowance to ₹1,500 in October this year, as mentioned in the input. Under the scheme, women aged 21 to 60 years with an annual family income below ₹2.5 lakh receive the monthly allowance.The data placed in the Assembly is also important. According to the input, 1,25,29,051 women are currently receiving the allowance, as against 1,31,06,525 registered women at the time of launch. The government attributed the decline in beneficiary numbers to deaths, women crossing 60 years of age, or voluntary surrender of the benefit. This is a relevant administrative point because it shows that beneficiary databases under welfare schemes are dynamic and subject to continuous change.
The opposition, however, turned the issue into a political critique. Congress alleged that a large number of women who have attained the eligible age since the formation of the present government are still waiting for fresh registration. It also accused the government of having promised a future increase in the allowance to ₹3,000 per month. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav responded by saying that fresh registrations and hikes would be done “slowly”, while reiterating that the manifesto promise is to provide ₹3,000 per sister by 2028.Taken together, the developments in the Assembly indicate two parallel policy themes in Madhya Pradesh. On one side, there is an effort to strengthen farmer income support through mechanisms like Bhavantar. On the other, there is continuing political contestation over women-centric welfare expansion through the Ladli Behna Scheme. Both issues reveal how agricultural pricing and direct-benefit welfare are central to the State’s contemporary policy and political discourse.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Proposed crop under Bhavantar extension | Mustard |
| Existing crop already covered | Soybean |
| Mustard acreage increase | 28% over previous year |
| Estimated mustard production | 15.71 lakh metric tonne |
| Mustard market price | ₹5,500 to ₹6,000 per quintal |
| Procurement price | ₹6,200 per quintal |
| Expected beneficiaries | About 80 lakh farmers |
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Scheme launched | March 2023 |
| Launched by | Shivraj Singh Chouhan |
| Initial monthly amount | ₹1,000 |
| Revised amount in October 2023 | ₹1,250 |
| Current amount under present regime | ₹1,500 |
| Eligibility age | 21 to 60 years |
| Income condition | Annual family income below ₹2.5 lakh |
| Current beneficiaries | 1,25,29,051 |
| Registered at launch | 1,31,06,525 |
Bhavantar Yojana
Launched earlier for soybean farmers in Madhya Pradesh.
Function as per input: It pays farmers the difference if their crop is sold in the market at a price lower than the government-declared MSP or procurement price.Ladli Behna Scheme
Launched: March 2023
Launched by: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Function as per input: Provides a monthly allowance to eligible women aged 21 to 60 years with annual family income below ₹2.5 lakh.Minister for Women and Child Development
Updated - 24 February 2026 ; 12:31 PM | News Source The Hindu