Mumbai, 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 welfare programmes and compelled several ministers to speak out against its impact on the state exchequer. "Despite the financial constraints, the government has introduced several measures to help the farming community," Mushrif told the gathering. "I have a different point of view on farm loan waivers," he went on to say. As soon as the government promises a waiver, farmers stop repaying loans, putting banks in trouble. The government should instead double grants given to farmers who honestly repay their loans to help them emerge from crises, he said. On July 13, Mushrif's colleague in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and sports and youth welfare minister Datta Bharne had said that funds were delayed because of the Ladki Bahin scheme. Chhagan Bhujbal, another NCP leader and minister, too had raised the issue, saying the scheme had placed immense financial strain on the exchequer. Before them, Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat had objected to the diversion of Rs.410 crore to the scheme from the social justice department....