The Maharashtra government’s Ladki Bahin Yojana, intended to provide Rs 1,500 monthly assistance to economically disadvantaged women, has been embroiled in a controversy. An audit revealed that 14,298 men exploited the system by submitting fake documents, causing a loss of approximately Rs 21.44 crore to the state exchequer. The scheme, launched in August 2024, aimed to support women aged 21 to 65 years with annual family incomes below Rs 2.5 lakh.
An audit by the Women and Child Development Department (WCD) exposed large-scale irregularities, including men registering as women through manipulated online forms. The fraud remained unnoticed until a detailed review was conducted almost 10 months after the scheme’s rollout.
Ajit Pawar Vows Recovery and Legal Action
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, quoted by news agency IANS, stated, “Ladki Bahin scheme was launched to help poor women. There is absolutely no reason why men should be its beneficiaries. We will recover money given to them. If they do not cooperate, further action will be taken.”
The irregularities go beyond fraudulent male beneficiaries. The WCD report highlights an estimated loss of Rs 1,640 crore in the scheme’s first year due to widespread ineligible enrolments. More than 7.97 lakh women from the same households applied as third beneficiaries, violating the rule that restricts benefits to two women per family. This violation alone cost the state Rs 1,196 crore.
Additionally, 2.87 lakh women over 65 years of age—above the eligibility ceiling—received benefits worth Rs 431.7 crore. Another 1.62 lakh women from families owning four-wheelers, who are also ineligible, were found on the beneficiary list.
‘There’s A Bigger Conspiracy’: NCP MP Supriya Sule Questions Maharashtra Govt
The findings have prompted sharp criticism from opposition leaders. According to NDTV, NCP MP Supriya Sule questioned, “How did these men fill the forms? Who helped them? Which company was given the contract for registrations? There’s a bigger conspiracy behind this. The company should be investigated, and the matter should be probed by an SIT or the ED.”
The names of ineligible women, particularly those with government jobs, have already been removed from the list of beneficiaries. Sule further asked why no Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe was ordered despite the magnitude of the fraud, pointing out that the government frequently calls for CBI or Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigations on minor issues.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had ordered a comprehensive review of the scheme in December 2024. In January, WCD Minister Aditi Tatkare assured corrective action, and by February, 5 lakh ineligible names were deleted from the system.
मुख्यमंत्री माझी लाडकी बहीण योजनेअंतर्गत पात्र ठरलेल्या सर्व अर्जांची ओळख पटवण्यासाठी महिला व बालविकास विभागाने शासनाच्या सर्व विभागांकडून माहिती मागवली होती. यानुसार माहिती व तंत्रज्ञान विभागाने सुमारे २६.३४ लाख लाभार्थी अपात्र असताना देखील लाडकी बहीण योजनेचा लाभ घेत असल्याची…
— Aditi S Tatkare (@iAditiTatkare) July 26, 2025
In a statement, Tatkare said, “The Department of Women and Child Development had sought information from all government departments to verify the eligibility of all applications. Accordingly, the Information and Technology Department reported that approximately 26.34 lakh beneficiaries, despite being ineligible, were availing benefits of the scheme. It has been found that some beneficiaries were availing the benefits of multiple schemes, some families had more than two beneficiaries, and in some cases, men had applied for the scheme. Based on this information, starting from June 2025, the benefits for these 26.34 lakh applicants have been temporarily suspended. Additionally, approximately 2.25 crore eligible beneficiaries of the scheme have been disbursed the honorarium for the month of June 2025.”
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