14,000 men illegally got funds under Maharashtra’s women-only scheme

A startling discrepancy has emerged in Maharashtra’s Ladki Bahin Yojana, a welfare scheme exclusively meant for women. An internal review has revealed that over 14,000 men have managed to receive benefits under the scheme, leading to an unauthorised payout of ₹21.44 crore in just ten months.

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Launched in August 2024, the Ladki Bahin Yojana provides ₹1,500 monthly assistance to women from low-income backgrounds aged between 21 and 65 years. However, a routine audit flagged that 14,298 male applicants were granted benefits, despite being clearly ineligible. These men reportedly submitted incorrect or falsified details to enrol under the scheme.

The matter is currently under investigation. Authorities are scrutinising the verification process that allowed the inclusion of these male recipients, how their applications were approved, and where the system failed. So far, the Women and Child Development Department, which administers the scheme, has not issued any formal response.

The state government is expected to initiate disciplinary action against those found accountable for the lapse. Recovery proceedings to reclaim the misused funds are also being planned.

This is not the first time Maharashtra's welfare distribution systems have come under fire. Earlier audits of the Sanitary Napkin Subsidy Scheme and Shiv Bhojan Thali initiative had also reported discrepancies in beneficiary selection and fund distribution.