Maharashtra: Rs 21 Crore Scam In Ladki Bahin Scheme; Over 14,000 Men Found Receiving Benefits
The Ladki Bahin Yojana, a welfare scheme launched exclusively for women in Maharashtra last year, has come under scrutiny of the state government after a major irregularity was uncovered in its allocation of funds.
Sources told CNN-News18 that an official review found 14,298 men fraudulently receiving a total of Rs 21.44 crore in benefits under the scheme meant for women over ten months.
The scheme, which began disbursing financial aid in August 2024, aims to provide monthly support to eligible women from low-income families.
Under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, the state government gives Rs 1,500 monthly to women aged 21-65.
However, a recent beneficiary audit uncovered that thousands of men had somehow been included in the official list of recipients.
According to government data, these male beneficiaries were enrolled under false or misrepresented identities and continued to receive benefits until the discrepancy was flagged during routine scrutiny.
Sources told CNN-News18 that authorities in charge of the women-centric scheme are now under scanner over unanswered questions: how men were able to bypass eligibility checks, who approved their applications, and what systemic lapses led to the misallocation of funds.
This is not the first time a welfare scheme in the state has faced credibility issues.
In the past, irregularities were reported in the implementation of the Sanitary Napkin Subsidy Scheme and the Shiv Bhojan Thali initiative, where either ineligible beneficiaries were listed or funds were misappropriated.
The state government is expected to take disciplinary action against those found responsible for the oversight and initiate steps to recover the misused funds.
A formal statement from the Women and Child Development Department is awaited.
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