New Delhi, Feb. 11 -- Cash transfers to women have become a staple pre-election promise across India. The latest battleground is Delhi, where all three major parties have pledged direct payouts to women ahead of the assembly elections. Even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), despite its broader opposition to the "freebies" culture, has joined the fray-offering cash handouts in an election that saw it return to power after 27 years.

Read this | The battle for Delhi: It is Kejriwal's suvidha vs Modi's vikas

But even before before Delhi, at least 13 states, spanning diverse political landscapes, have already implemented similar schemes-many rolled out just before elections. If the upcoming BJP government in Delhi keeps its promise, it will ...