The spate of welfare schemes and guarantees announced by the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government is unlikely to dent the state's financial position, a domestic rating agency said. Icra Ratings' chief economist Aditi Nayar also expects that there will not be a "runaway increase" in spending even though the "rhetoric may be very high". She explained that Maharashtra fares well on the state debt front, and the leverage levels are among the lowest in the country. Concerns have been raised in the recent past over schemes like the Rs 46,000-crore Ladki Bahin Yojana of providing cash handouts to women or the decision to discontinue tolls for cars while entering or exiting the financial capital. The rating agency's assistant vice president Neetika Shridhar said Maharashtra has a sizeable amount of fiscal space because it has not been doing a lot of welfare spending in the last few years, which can limit the sacrifices that it may have to make to accommodate the financial pressure comi Read The Rest at :