Latest news with #MukhyamantriMajhiLadkiBahinScheme
Hindustan Times
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Over 14,000 men received payout under Maharashtra's women-only Ladki Bahin scheme
More than 14,000 men have fraudulently claimed benefits under Maharashtra's women-only Ladki Bahin Yojana, a state government report has shown, highlighting massive systemic failures in a scheme credited with helping the Mahayuti coalition secure electoral victory last year. The Ladki Bahin Yojana was a game-changer for the Mahayuti coalition, helping them sweep to power in last year's assembly election.( Praful Gangurde /Hindustan Times) The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme, which provides ₹1,500 monthly to eligible women aged 21-65 from low-income families, has lost ₹1,640 crore to ineligible beneficiaries over the past 12 months, according to the latest scrutiny report by the state women and child development department. Of this staggering amount, ₹21.44 crore went to 14,298 men who misrepresented their identities to enrol in the scheme designed exclusively for women's health, nutrition and general well-being. These fraudulent male beneficiaries received payments for 10 months before being detected and had their accounts frozen. The scheme, announced on June 28, 2024, ahead of the November assembly elections, proved politically transformative for the Mahayuti government. Before the polls, the state had already disbursed ₹7,500 to 23.4 million women, helping the coalition sweep to power. However, the programme's rapid implementation has come at enormous cost. The state currently spends ₹3,700 crore monthly to support 24.1 million beneficiaries, while struggling with widespread eligibility violations that have exposed serious governance gaps. The largest fraud involves 797,000 women who enrolled as third family members despite the scheme limiting eligibility to two women per household. This violation alone cost the exchequer ₹1,196 crore over the past year. Additionally, 287,000 beneficiaries were over 65 years—who should have been enrolled in different schemes—received payments for 10 months, causing a ₹431.70 crore loss. Another 162,000 women from families owning four-wheelers were incorrectly enrolled despite income restrictions. Concerns about the scheme's integrity emerged soon after implementation. In December 2024, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a comprehensive review of beneficiary lists. This was followed in January by women and child development minister Aditi Tatkare announcing that the government would begin weeding out ineligible beneficiaries. The clean-up gained momentum in February when the department dropped 500,000 ineligible beneficiaries. The latest scrutiny report covering the past 10 months has now revealed the full extent of fraudulent enrolments across multiple categories. Department officials acknowledge the scale of fraud is 'shocking' and attribute much of it to the online registration process that enabled fraudulent enrolment without adequate verification. 'Physical scrutiny of applications at the ground level is necessary,' said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The department now plans to engage the income tax department to cross-verify eligibility, as only families earning up to ₹2.5 lakh annually qualify for benefits. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has promised strict action against male fraudsters. 'The Ladki Bahin scheme is for needy women from lower income groups, not for men. The state government will recover the money from men who received benefits. If they don't cooperate, we will take strict action,' he said. Women and child development minister Aditi Tatkare said, 'As of now payment benefits to 2.6 million ineligible beneficiaries have been stopped... The nature of action against those who misled the government to take benefits will be decided after discussion with chief minister and the deputy chief ministers.'
India Today
29-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Funds to Ladki Bahin scheme through tribal department, Fadnavis says no wrongdoing
The Maharashtra government has once again allocated Rs 335.7 crore to the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme through the Tribal Development Department, marking the third such transfer. This allocation, approved in May 2025, brings the total funds diverted from the department to Rs 1,007.1 Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said that no funds have been diverted from other departments for the scheme, emphasising that money was disbursed through Tribal Affairs and Social Justice Departments as per budgetary charges (by opposition that funds were diverted from other departments for Ladki Bahin Yojana) are wrong. Only those who don't understand the budget can make such a charge. Rules say funds should be reserved for SCs/STs. Maximum funds should be reserved for personal benefit schemes and some for infrastructure development," Fadnavis was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The Chief Minister's remarks came amid a controversy over the funds transfer, as the Niti Aayog had issued a clear directive prohibiting the use of funds earmarked for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) for other Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat and the Tribal Development Department also opposed the move, citing strict guidelines issued by Niti Aayog. The Opposition argued that such actions could undermine welfare programs for Dalit and tribal according to Fadnavis, the budget of Tribal Affairs and Social Justice departments has been hiked nearly 1.45 times in 2025-26. "This (Ladki Bahin funds disbursed through other departments) is a type of accounting. No money has been diverted. There is no wrongdoing in this," the Chief Minister to him, money given into the scheme has to be shown under the Tribal Affairs Department and the Social Justice this month, Sanjay Shirasat accused the Ajit Pawar-led Finance Department of high-handedness in what he termed the illegal diversion of funds from his department without his Tribal Development Department had previously transferred Rs 335.7 crore twice for the same Aayog's guidelines, communicated through a letter to all state Chief Ministers, the Union Social Justice Department, and the Tribal Affairs Department, stated that funds allocated for Dalit and tribal welfare must not be diverted to other Ladki Bahin Scheme provides Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women. It is a flagship initiative of the state government and incurs an estimated monthly expenditure of 3,570 the financial year 2024-25, the state budget has allocated 36,000 crore for the scheme. So far, approximately 2.34 crore women have benefited from this PTI inputsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Maharashtra#Devendra Fadnavis
The Star
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Athletics-Clayton twins shine in Diamond League 100m, Tebogo wins 200m by a whisker
Dhalai (Tripura) [India], May 16 (ANI): The Tripura Forest Department on Friday organised a special event under the IGDC Project at Ambassa Town Hall, aiming to support and empower various beneficiaries with tools and equipment necessary for self-reliance. The event was inaugurated by the Minister for Forest, Animesh Debbarma, who lit the ceremonial lamp to mark the beginning of the program. Also Read | Ladki Bahin Yojana May 2025 Instalment Date: When Will Maharashtra Women Beneficiaries Receive 11th Kist of INR 1,500 Under Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme?. Distinguished guests present on the occasion included Sushmita Das, Chairperson of Dhalai Zilla Parishad; Parimal Debbarma, BDO Chairman; S. Prabhu, senior Forest Department official, and Amit Debbarma, DFO of Dhalai district, among others. This marks the first time such an initiative has been conducted in the Dhalai district, drawing an enthusiastic response from the local community. Also Read | Pakistan, India Should Sit Down at the Table Like Peaceful Neighbours and Settle Their Outstanding Issues: PM Shehbaz Sharif. In a separate but related event on the same day, Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma inaugurated a newly constructed Multi-Utility Building at Raipasha, Ambassa. Built at a cost of approximately Rs. 4.5 lakhs, the building has been developed by the Forest Department to serve as a hub for environmental protection initiatives. The facility will provide a dedicated space for various committees working under the department on conservation-related activities. It is intended to facilitate regular meetings, discussions, and planning sessions focusing on strategies for preserving the environment. The Minister officially opened the building by cutting the ribbon and unveiling the plaque. Also present at the ceremony were Dhalai Zonal Chairman Premlal Malsom, DFO Amit Debbarma, and other dignitaries. Both events highlighted the Forest Department's continued efforts toward community empowerment and sustainable environmental governance in the region. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
