The Maharashtra Government has suspended 26.34 lakh beneficiaries from its flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana following a verification process that uncovered widespread irregularities, including over 14,000 male claimants receiving benefits intended exclusively for women.
An audit by the Women and Child Development Department (WCD) revealed that Rs 21.44 crore was paid to 14,298 men who exploited the online registration system to falsely register as female beneficiaries. This misuse was detected nearly 10 months after the scheme’s launch.
On Sunday, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) working president Supriya Sule demanded a CBI inquiry into this serious irregularity under the scheme Ladki Bahin Yojana. At the same time, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar clarified that if such cases are confirmed, the amount given will be recovered from the concerned persons.
Citing media reports, Sule said that a large number of men’s names were found registered in the beneficiary list of this scheme launched in August 2024 and an amount of about Rs 21 crore was distributed to them.
While talking to reporters in Pune, Supriya Sule said, “When the government gets the CBI or ED investigated even in minor cases, then this step is mandatory in this case. There should be a CBI inquiry to identify those who included these men in the scheme.” On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also handling the Finance Ministry, said that the scheme aims to provide assistance only to women from economically weaker sections. He said, “If men are found to be taking advantage, the entire amount will be taken back from them and strict action will be taken if they do not cooperate.”
He also informed that during the investigation, some women, who were already in government or private employment, were also getting benefits under the scheme. In such cases, the respective names have been removed from the list.
Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare informed on Twitter (formerly Twitter) on Saturday night that according to the information of the Income Tax Department, 26.34 lakh beneficiaries were not eligible for the scheme. He wrote, “Some men had also applied, and in all these cases the benefits have been suspended for the time being. Based on the report of the District Collectors, the benefits will be started again to the eligible persons.”
