India, July 28 -- Maharashtra medical education minister Hasan Mushrif on Sunday blamed the Ladki Bahin scheme for delay in announcing the farm loan waiver promised by ruling Mahayuti alliance in its manifesto for the assembly poll held last year.

"We had promised to waive crop loans taken by farmers but the state government is spending Rs.46,000 crore a year on our Ladki Bahin (scheme)," Mushrif said while addressing a public meeting in Kolhapur on Sunday.

Under the scheme, introduced in July last year ahead of the assembly poll, nearly 24.6 million women from low-income families are paid a monthly dole of Rs.1,500. The state government spends around Rs.3,800 crore per month on the scheme, which has affected expenditure on other welfar...