In a post on X, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said that it has been found that some families had more than two beneficiaries, some applicants were receiving aid from multiple schemes, in some cases men were found on the beneficiary list
Official launch of the Ladki Bahin scheme. File Pic
Over 14,000 men have reportedly received financial support under the Maharashtra government's Ladki Bahin Yojana, a welfare scheme that is explicitly intended for economically disadvantaged women in state.
Launched in 2024, the scheme offers Rs 1,500 per month to women aged 21 to 65 from families with an annual income below Rs 2.5 lakh.
The scheme's introduction by the state government, ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections last year, played a crucial role in the success of the ruling Mahayuti coalition.
The scheme has now come under scrutiny after it was revealed that over 26.34 lakh ineligible people were receiving benefits.
The state government has now temporarily stopped payments to these beneficiaries from June 2025, following a data review.
In a post on X, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said that the government had asked all departments for data to verify applications. The Department of Information Technology found that several irregularities had occurred. Some families had more than two beneficiaries, some applicants were receiving aid from multiple schemes, in some cases men were found on the beneficiary list.
मुख्यमंत्री माझी लाडकी बहीण योजनेअंतर्गत पात्र ठरलेल्या सर्व अर्जांची ओळख पटवण्यासाठी महिला व बालविकास विभागाने शासनाच्या सर्व विभागांकडून माहिती मागवली होती. यानुसार माहिती व तंत्रज्ञान विभागाने सुमारे २६.३४ लाख लाभार्थी अपात्र असताना देखील लाडकी बहीण योजनेचा लाभ घेत असल्याची…
— Aditi S Tatkare (@iAditiTatkare) July 26, 2025
“Some men have fraudulently claimed benefits, and in some cases, even posed as women,” Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Saturday while answering a query raised during his press interaction.
“Money given to them will be recovered, and if they fail to cooperate, strict action will be taken,” Pawar said, according to the PTI.
He also mentioned that government employees who wrongly enrolled in the scheme have already been removed from the list. A continuous review process is in place to keep removing such names.
Aditi Tatkare said that around 2.25 crore genuinely eligible women received their aid for June 2025. The applications of the 26.34 lakh ineligible persons will be re-verified by district collectors, and those found eligible after scrutiny will have their benefits restored.
A probe has been suggested into agencies that helped fill out the forms.
"A final decision on what action should be taken against fraudulent beneficiaries who misled the system and wrongfully availed of the scheme will be made after discussions at the government level with the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar," Tatkare wrote on X.
(with PTI inputs)
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