Ladki Bahin, Ladli Behena, Lado Lakshmi, Gruha Lakshmi, Maha Lakshmi, Maiya Samman, Pyari Behna Sukh Samman… In 2024, India witnessed an explosion of cash transfer schemes targeting women. The actual amounts transferred are small, averaging about Rs 1,500 per month, but the reach is wide. Fourteen states are spending about 0.6 per cent of the GDP annually on the schemes, reaching 34 per cent women, according to estimates by Axis Bank. No political party will now risk the electoral battlefield without a cash transfer guarantee in their armour. In Maharashtra, the electorate had to wait a few extra weeks for election dates to be announced, in order for the cash benefits of Ladki Bahin Yojana announced in June to accumulate in the bank accounts. In Delhi, on the eve of…