A major scam has come to light in Maharashtra’s Ladki Bahin Yojana, a welfare scheme designed to provide ₹1,500 per month to low-income women. Over 14,000 men have been found to have illegally enrolled as beneficiaries, causing a financial loss of ₹21.44 crore over the past ten months. The revelation has raised serious concerns about the scheme’s verification process and has prompted immediate action from the state government.
Launched in August 2024 to provide financial support to women aged 21 to 65, the scheme played a crucial role in the electoral success of the ruling Mahayuti coalition. However, scrutiny by the Women and Child Development Department revealed that 14,298 men fraudulently posed as women to access the funds. Their payments have now been suspended, and the government is preparing to recover the misused amount.
The problem extends beyond fraudulent male beneficiaries. A department report shows that over five lakh women receiving benefits are ineligible under the scheme's criteria. These include women from families that own four-wheelers, those beyond the permissible age range, and households with more than two female beneficiaries. Nearly 7.97 lakh women were found to be third beneficiaries from the same family, resulting in an additional and unauthorized expenditure of ₹1,196 crore.
In total, the department estimates a loss of ₹1,640 crore over the past year due to ineligible claims. Currently, the state is spending ₹3,700 crore to support 2.41 crore beneficiaries under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. The government is now working to tighten controls and reduce misuse of public funds. Officials blame the widespread fraud on a lack of rigorous checks in the online application process, which allowed ineligible applicants to bypass scrutiny.
To address the issue, the government is enhancing the verification process. District collectors are now leading a state-wide re-verification drive. The Women and Child Development Department is also coordinating with the Income Tax Department to verify the income status of applicants, as only women with an annual income under ₹2.5 lakh qualify for the scheme. Physical verification, cross-referencing with vehicle ownership databases, and stricter Aadhaar checks are also being implemented.
Minister Aditi Tatkare confirmed that payments to over 26.34 lakh suspected ineligible beneficiaries have been temporarily stopped until their eligibility is re-assessed. Only those who meet the required criteria will continue to receive support. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar stated that the scheme is intended solely for women and made it clear that funds taken by fraudulent male beneficiaries will be recovered.
