Misuse of 'Ladki Bahin' Scheme Revealed; Orders to Recover Amount from Ineligible Beneficiaries

A shocking reality has emerged that 14,000 men have benefited from the Maharashtra government's 'Chief Minister's Beloved Sister' scheme. Although this scheme is only for women, ineligible beneficiaries have taken advantage of it, prompting the government to decide to make the verification process more stringent. Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare informed that the amount will be recovered from those ineligible persons who have mistakenly or deliberately benefited.

Tatkare clarified that documents and beneficiaries are being continuously scrutinized under the scheme. The implementation of this scheme started on June 28, 2024, and so far, 26.3 million women have registered. Out of these, 24.7 million women are being given benefits. This means that the final selection of beneficiaries has been made after scrutiny.

In Nagpur district alone, cases of more than 61,000 ineligible beneficiaries have come to light, including economically capable women and some men. In some cases, men deliberately deposited the amount into their accounts, while in some places, men's accounts were used instead of women's due to the absence of bank accounts for women in the household.

Tatkare noted that action has also been taken against government employees misusing the scheme. She informed that more attention will be given to such cases in the future, and ineligible beneficiaries will be removed and financial recovery will be made from them.