Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has initiated stern action against 1,183 government officials and employees who allegedly availed benefits of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Laadki Bahin Yojana through fraudulent means. The Women and Child Development (WCD) Department has warned that disciplinary proceedings under the Maharashtra Civil Service Rules will be taken against them.
The scheme, announced by former Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in June 2024 ahead of the Assembly elections, was designed to provide financial assistance of Rs1,500 per month to eligible women. More than 2.62 crore women applied when the programme was launched, making it one of the largest women-centric welfare schemes in the state.
During scrutiny, the Information Technology Department discovered that several ineligible individuals, including government employees, had submitted false documents to claim benefits. The probe revealed that 1,183 officials and staff members of Zilla Parishads across the state had illegally drawn benefits under the scheme.
Following this revelation, the WCD Department handed over the list of these employees to the Rural Development Department and demanded disciplinary action. A circular issued by the Rural Development Department has clarified that only the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Zilla Parishads have the authority to act against these defaulters. The department has also been asked to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR).
12,000 Men Under Scanner
Meanwhile, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare confirmed to the media that the government is now scrutinising the accounts of over 12,000 men who are suspected to have benefited from the scheme.
“We are verifying whether the monthly assistance meant exclusively for women was wrongly credited to male members of households. Some people are trying to create the impression that the Ladki Bahin scheme is flawed, but the government is committed to protecting its credibility and ensuring only genuine beneficiaries receive the aid,” Tatkare said.
She further highlighted that the scheme has also pushed digitisation, as Aadhaar was not seeded with nearly 50 lakh bank accounts before the programme was rolled out last year. “Because of Ladki Bahin, Aadhaar-linking was completed, which will now help women not only in receiving monthly instalments under this scheme but also in accessing other government services,” she added.
