Ladki Bahin Yojana: While state governments are running numerous schemes for women, Maharashtra’s Ladki Bahin Yojana is gaining considerable attention. Its purpose is to provide monthly financial assistance to women from economically weaker sections. However, some time ago, it was revealed that many people who were not eligible were also taking advantage of this scheme. Therefore, the government is now cracking down on such individuals.
The Maharashtra government said that approximately Rs 35 crore was received under the Ladki Behen Yojana by people who were not eligible, and the amount will now be recovered from them. According to data presented to the Legislative Council, 1,526 government employees were among those who received benefits worth Rs 14.5 crore.
Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said in a written reply to a question that officials have also identified 14,298 men who received the benefits despite being ineligible. The government has decided to initiate recovery proceedings against all men and government employees who illegally received these benefits. Departments have been directed to take action to recover the funds under the Maharashtra Civil Services Rules.
More than 26 lakh suspicious accounts
Earlier this year, an investigation led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology declared 2.63 million accounts potentially ineligible. These included families where more than one member was receiving benefits or where the same individuals were also taking advantage of other schemes . In many cases, men had also applied for the scheme, even though it was specifically designed for women. Consequently, payments to all such accounts were stopped in June.
Which women get the benefit?
The Ladki Behen Yojana covers married, widowed, divorced, abandoned, and economically disadvantaged women aged 21 to 65. Their family income must be less than ₹2.5 lakh per year. If there is an unmarried woman in the family who is eligible for this scheme, she can also benefit from this scheme. Beneficiaries are allowed to receive assistance from other schemes as long as the total monthly assistance amount does not exceed Rs 1,500.