Five lakh women removed from Ladki Bahin Yojana; no repayment required | File Photo
Mumbai: In a significant development, the Maharashtra government has excluded a record five lakh women beneficiaries from the Ladki Bahin Yojana following a verification exercise that identified a large number of ineligible individuals.
However, the government has clarified that no recovery action will be taken against ineligible beneficiaries, as no strict repayment rules were enforced during the scrutiny process. Women declared ineligible will no longer receive funds.
From July to December 2024, the state government allocated approximately Rs 21,000 crore for the Ladki Bahin scheme, benefiting over 2.46 crore women.
Minister Aditi Tatkare provided a breakdown of the five lakh women declared ineligible. Among them, 2.3 lakh are beneficiaries of the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana, while 1.1 lakh are women above 65 years of age. Additionally, 1.6 lakh women fall into categories such as those with a four-wheeler registered in a family member’s name, beneficiaries of the Namo Shakti Yojana, and those who voluntarily withdrew from the scheme.
Earlier, some women decided to return the money out of fear of action after scrutiny, while others chose to return it honestly. In Pune alone, around 75,000 women have initiated the process of giving back the funds to the government. The Women and Child Development Department will facilitate the collection from those willing to return it.
Before the Assembly elections, women were hastily declared eligible for the scheme without strict scrutiny of the criteria. At that time, the government did not verify the eligibility conditions and deposited the money directly into the accounts of all applicants. However, after the elections, the rules and eligibility criteria are now being reviewed.
In Hingoli, it has been revealed that some men took advantage of the scheme by posing as women. Fearing legal action, four men have voluntarily withdrawn from the scheme. Out of the eight beneficiaries who opted out, four were men who had used women’s photographs on their Aadhaar cards to claim benefits. So far, these four individuals had received six installments, amounting to Rs 9,000 each.
The state budget is scheduled for the first week of March, and the government has promised to provide Rs 2,100 per month under the Ladki Bahin scheme. However, the scrutiny process will continue for a few more months, which means the number of ineligible beneficiaries currently at five lakh could increase further.
