- By Shibra Arshad
- Sun, 27 Jul 2025 11:31 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
A major fraud has come to light under a flagship scheme, Ladki Bahin Yojana, run by the Maharashtra government. The latest scrutiny into the disbursement of the amount under the scheme revealed that over 14,000 men received financial assistance meant for women in the state. 14,298 men who received a monthly pay of Rs 15,00 from the state government for 10 months caused a loss of Rs 21.44 crore to the state exchequer.
The Ladki Bahin Yojana, launched by the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, is meant for females exclusively from low-income groups, aged between 21 and 65. The money is meant to improve their health, nutrition, and overall well-being.
The scheme, which remained controversial as it placed an unprecedented burden on state finances, has been riddled with ineligible beneficiaries enrolled on the scheme in monthly scrutiny.
In the latest revision, it was found that 14,298 men were enrolled on the scheme run by the state women and child development department by misrepresenting their identity. Payment to these accounts has been stopped.
The latest scrutiny revealed that the state government incurred a loss of Rs 1,640 crore in the last 12 months by paying hundreds of thousands of ineligible beneficiaries.
The women and child development department informed in February that nearly 500,000 beneficiaries had been dropped under the scheme. 162,000 of the number were women whose families owned four-wheeler vehicles, while around 287,000 beneficiaries were over 65 years of age. Women over 65 years of age are eligible for another scheme run by the government.
The Ladki Bahin Yojana proved to be a game-changer for the Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra, as it helped the alliance to sweep the state in the last assembly election.
The state government currently spend Rs 3700 crore to pay Rs 1500 monthly to 24.1 million beneficiaries under the Ladki Bahin Yojana.