Maharashtra: Shinde Sena minister accuses Ajit Pawar-led department of ‘illegal' fund diversion
Sanjay Shirsat, the social justice minister in Maharashtra's Mahayuti government and leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, on Saturday accused the Ajit Pawar-led finance department of 'illegally' diverting funds from his department without his knowledge, reported PTI.
'They had diverted Rs 7,000 crore from my department earlier [during Budget] by keeping me in the dark,' Shirsat was quoted as saying. 'If the government does not want the Social Justice Department to function or they do not want to spend money, then they should shut down this department.'
Shirsat added that the diversion of funds was not legal and said he would raise the matter before Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The social justice minister also accused the Finance Department of 'high-handedness'.
'Their action is wrong,' he said. 'I oppose it.'
Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve, also claimed that Rs 414.30 crore out of the Rs 3,960 crore allocated to the Social Justice Department had been diverted by the state government.
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) leader claimed that Rs 335.70 crore was diverted from the Tribal Development Department to cover monthly cash transfers under the Ladki Bahin women's welfare scheme.
'The government stole the tribals' share of the money to pay their beloved sister's monthly salary,' Danve alleged in a social media post.
लाडक्या बहिणीचा हफ्ता भरायला सरकारने आदिवासींच्या वाट्याचे पैसे पळवले!
सरकारी तिजोरी कोरडी होत चालली आहे!
सामाजिक न्याय व विशेष सहाय्य विभागासाठी मंजूर 3,960 कोटींपैकी 410 कोटी 30 लाख रु. तसेच आदिवासी विकास खात्याला दिलेल्या 3,420 कोटींच्या सहाय्यक अनुदानातून तब्बल 335 कोटी 70…
— Ambadas Danve (@iambadasdanve) May 3, 2025
Under the Ladki Bahin scheme, women between the ages of 21 to 65, whose annual family income is under Rs 2.5 lakh, receive Rs 1,500 per month in the form of direct bank transfers.
The cash transfer scheme is said to have played a crucial role in the Mahayuti alliance – comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shinde Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Ajit Pawar – winning 230 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly on November 20.
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