Over 14,000 men among 26 lakh ineligible beneficiaries barred from Maharashtra’s Ladki Bahin scheme for women

In a statement issued by Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare on Sunday, the department confirmed that it had sought data from all state departments to verify the eligibility of applicants under the scheme.

The verification, conducted by the Department of Information and Technology, flagged lakhs of entries where beneficiaries were found ineligible but continued to receive financial support under the scheme.

“Some beneficiaries were found to be availing of multiple government schemes. In other cases, families had more than two members receiving benefits. Shockingly, there were also instances where male applicants had been granted funds under the scheme,” Tatkare said.

Based on these findings, disbursement of funds to 26.34 lakh such accounts has been temporarily stopped starting June 2025.

The minister clarified that this was a precautionary suspension and that district collectors had been tasked with conducting a detailed review to determine eligibility. “Those found to be genuinely eligible will have their benefits restored,” Tatkare said.

Despite the suspension, around 2.25 crore eligible women received the monthly Rs 1,500 dole for June 2025.

The discovery that 14,298 men had availed of benefits under the scheme for women has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition. The Government has since removed all such ineligible male beneficiaries from the list.

Responding to the criticism, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the state would recover the amounts disbursed to these individuals and would take legal action if they fail to cooperate.

“This scheme was launched with a sincere intention to support poor women. It was never meant for men. Misuse will not be tolerated,” Pawar said, when asked about the matter.

The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, launched in August 2024 by the Eknath Shinde-led Maha Yuti Government ahead of the Assembly polls, with the monthly dole credited directly into the bank accounts of women whose annual income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh.

The scheme gained widespread traction across the state, especially in the run-up to the Assembly elections, and credit was given to the scheme for the victory of the Mahayuti.

During the Assembly elections, Mahayuti leaders had promised to raise this amount to Rs 2,100, which was considered instrumental in helping the alliance return to power.

In March, during the first budget presented by the Government under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, no announcement was made regarding the anticipated increase in the Ladki Bahin dole.

The Opposition has been targeting the government over increasing the dole and accusing the government of hurriedly starting the scheme with an eye on the Assembly polls and overburdening the exchequer.

Meanwhile, Tatkare added that the Government would soon decide — in consultation with Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Shinde and Pawar — on the course of action to be taken against fraudulent or fake claimants who had deliberately misled authorities to claim benefits.