Unbelievable! 2,200 Ladki Bahin beneficiaries in Maharashtra found to be govt employees

Over 2,200 beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana were found to be government employees during scrutiny, PTI quoted Maharashtra Minister Aditi Tatkare as saying on Saturday.

In a post on X on Friday, Tatkare said verification of beneficiaries will be a regular process.

“After scrutinising nearly 2 lakh applications, 2,289 government employees were found to be the beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana. After realising this, such beneficiaries are not being given the benefit of the scheme,” the Women and Child Development Minister said.

“Verification of beneficiaries is a standard and ongoing process in the implementation of any scheme, and it is being strictly followed in the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme," Indian Express quoted Tatkare as saying.

Stating more, the minister said that the government is committed to ensuring that only eligible beneficiaries receive the benefits of the Ladki Bahin Yojana, adding they will continue to scrutinise applications for this.

The revelation about the misuse of the scheme was uncovered after the WCD department launched a comprehensive verification process of beneficiary applications in recent months, reported Indian Express.

For this, the General Administration Department (GAD) collaborated by sharing data of state government employees with the Information Technology Department for cross-verification. During this exercise, data from around two lakh applications was scrutinised via the Sevaarth system.

About Ladki Bahin Yojana:

Earlier in August 2024, the Mahayuti government in the state launched the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls. Under this scheme, women in the age group of 21-65 years are entitled to a monthly assistance of ₹1,500.

However, government employees are not eligible for the scheme.

Following the polls, the Mahayuti leaders have attributed the resounding success of the ruling alliance in the assembly polls to the Ladki Bahin scheme. Though they admitted that it has put severe strain on the state exchequer.

With agency inputs.