Mumbai: Maharashtra Women and Child Welfare Minister Aditi Tatkare on Sunday revealed that over 26.34 lakh ineligible women had availed benefits under the state government's flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, leading to a major breach in the implementation of the welfare scheme. The benefits to these ineligible recipients have now been temporarily suspended.
The disclosure comes shortly after reports surfaced that 14,298 men had fraudulently received the Rs 1,500 monthly stipend under the scheme, causing a loss of Rs 21.4 crore to the state exchequer.
In a statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Tatkare said that the Women and Child Development Department had undertaken a detailed scrutiny of the scheme by coordinating with all government departments. Following the review, the Information Technology Department reported that 26.3 lakh beneficiaries had received the stipend despite being ineligible.
“It was found that some individuals were availing benefits from multiple government schemes, some families had more than two beneficiaries, and in some cases, even men had applied for and received benefits,” Tatkare said.
The benefits for these 26.34 lakh ineligible beneficiaries were suspended starting last month. However, around 2.2 crore eligible women successfully received the stipend for the month of June.
Tatkare further stated that district collectors would verify the eligibility of the suspended beneficiaries, and those found eligible after this verification process would have their benefits resumed. “Regarding action to be taken against fraudulent beneficiaries who misled the government and availed benefits through improper means, a suitable decision will be taken at the government level,” she added.
The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana provides a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 to married, divorced, widowed, deserted, and destitute women aged between 21 and 65, with an annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh. Beneficiaries must also be domiciled in Maharashtra. Additionally, one eligible unmarried woman from each family may also qualify under the scheme.
The scheme was launched ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections and is credited with playing a key role in the Mahayuti alliance’s landslide victory by appealing to economically vulnerable women across the state.
