The Maharashtra Government has introduced a new scheme to help the landless labourers among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) to acquire agricultural land. The landless among the SCs can now purchase for acres of rainfed agricultural land or two acres of irrigated land by paying only 5% of the cost. The rest up to Rs 8 lakh will be borne by the state government. This is a modified scheme as the earlier Dadasaheb Gaikwad empowerment of scheduled caste landless labourers scheme was providing 50% subsidy and was found inadequate and benefited only about five thousand landless labourers from SCs in the State so far.