Ladki Bahin scheme: NCP-SP claims loss of ₹24,000 crore as ‘80 lakh beneficiaries found ineligible’

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) alleged a loss of over ₹24,000 crore after ineligible beneficiaries were found under the Maharashtra government's flagship Ladki Bahin scheme. The government claimed that around 80 lakh women were found ineligible for benefits during verification.

"How did the BJP-led government, which claims to be committed to transparency and good governance, allow such massive misuse of public money?" Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase was quoted by PTI as saying.

“As per available figures, nearly 81 lakh beneficiaries out of the total 2.47 crore recipients of the flagship scheme have been found ineligible after funds had already been disbursed,” he said.

"Those found ineligible include approximately 14,000 men, nearly 10 lakh taxpayers, 5 lakh government employees, and several lakh vehicle owners," Tapase added.

'Who approved the beneficiary verification process?'

Tapase questioned the state government over the lack of basic verification of those seeking to be the beneficiaries of the scheme.

"The people of Maharashtra deserve answers. Was this a welfare scheme or an election campaign funded at taxpayers' expense? A government that distributed thousands of crores without even basic verification cannot escape its moral responsibility," Tapase noted.

"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' admission that the state government relied on self-certification instead of proper scrutiny before the elections amounts to an acknowledgement of administrative failure," he claimed.

The NCP (SP) leader alleged, "The Mahayuti government deliberately bypassed the necessary verification process with the intention of influencing voters before the elections. This was not social justice; it was the plunder of taxpayers' money and the acquisition of political power through that misuse. This way, the government has caused an estimated loss of ₹24,300 crore."

Tapase demanded that the CM immediately disclose who approved the beneficiary verification process, who failed to identify the ineligible beneficiaries, and what disciplinary or penal action will be taken against the officials responsible for this grave negligence.

"The BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP must collectively accept moral responsibility for the financial loss and compensate the state exchequer for the enormous damage caused. Every rupee squandered belongs to the taxpayers of Maharashtra," Tapase said.

He said the ₹24,300 crore lost in this process would have significantly improved the lives of millions of citizens as it could have been used to provide permanent drinking water facilities to thousands of drought-affected villages, build irrigation infrastructure, strengthen rural road networks, modernise district hospitals, and upgrade infrastructure in government schools.

"Instead, the Mahayuti government chose politics over development and publicity over proper planning," Tapase said.

What's the Ladki Bahin Yojana controversy?

The Ladki Bahin Yojana was launched in August 2024 under the Eknath Shinde-led government. Under the scheme, women in the 21-60 age group, subject to certain conditions like an annual family income limit of ₹2.5 lakh, get ₹1500 per month as financial aid.

It was considered one of the primary reasons for the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shinde's Shiv Sena and the NCP, sweeping the Maharashtra assembly polls in November 2024.

The controversy erupted after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rejected allegations that the government had removed lakhs of women from the cash transfer scheme, asserting only ineligible beneficiaries were weeded out through a verification process.

According to officials, around 80 lakh women had become ineligible to receive benefits under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana post an e-KYC process.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Fadnavis said the state government had undertaken a verification exercise of beneficiaries after the scheme was launched and several irregularities came to light.

He noted that the scrutiny revealed anomalies, such as women from families of government employees availing benefits and, in some instances, men filing applications.

"When the scheme was introduced, women were allowed to self-certify their eligibility, as many did not have sufficient time to submit documents. Subsequently, verification was carried out as the government expenditure is subject to audit," he explained.

"We have not excluded anyone. There were several criteria for eligibility. We initiated the KYC process and identified beneficiaries who were either ineligible or had discrepancies in their records," the CM said at an event organised by a regional news channel in Mumbai, PTI reported.

The chief minister said the verification exercise revealed that around 14,000 men, five lakh government employees, 10 lakh income-tax payers and five lakh vehicle owners had been receiving benefits despite not meeting the eligibility criteria.

Fadnavis noted that beneficiaries who failed to complete the mandatory KYC process and those found ineligible were blocked from receiving payments under the scheme.

The CM said errors were also detected in the KYC details of about 25 lakh women beneficiaries and these records were subsequently corrected.

"The government is ready to undertake the KYC process again. However, those who are ineligible will not receive any money under the scheme," he emphasised.

A senior official was quoted by PTI as saying that the beneficiary count has dropped from 2.4 crore to nearly 1.7 crore after the e-KYC (Know Your Customer) deadline of April 30, but the disqualifications were also linked to non-compliance with eligibility criteria of the scheme launched two years ago.

'Won't scrap Ladki Bahin scheme'

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured on Tuesday that the government will not discontinue its flagship 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' welfare scheme, clarifying that 1.70 crore eligible women will keep receiving benefits despite the recent removal of lakhs of beneficiaries.