Ladki Bahin Scheme Fraud: Over 14,000 Men Found Among Beneficiaries
Ladki Bahin Scheme Fraud: Over 14,000 Men Found Among Beneficiaries
Mumbai | July 28, 2025 — Designed to empower women, Maharashtra’s flagship Ladki Bahin Yojana has found itself at the centre of a financial and administrative scandal, with over 14,000 men fraudulently enrolling and receiving benefits meant exclusively for women. The revelation has sparked outrage and raised pressing questions about the scheme’s implementation and monitoring mechanisms.
According to a recent scrutiny report from the state’s Women and Child Development Department, 14,298 men were found to have enrolled by misrepresenting their identities. These individuals managed to collect ₹1,500 per month for ten consecutive months, resulting in a direct loss of ₹21.44 crore to the state exchequer.
But the fraud goes far deeper.
The Ladki Bahin Yojana, launched in June 2024, was touted as a transformative initiative aimed at supporting low-income women aged 21 to 65 by improving their health, nutrition, and financial independence. The scheme was a key factor in the Mahayuti coalition’s electoral success and now supports 24.1 million beneficiaries, costing the state ₹3,700 crore annually.
However, a detailed internal review has revealed that over 2.6 million beneficiaries were ineligible — not just men, but also women who exceeded the age limit, came from families with higher income brackets, or were third female claimants from a single household (where only two are allowed).
Some notable findings:
- 162,000 women from families owning four-wheelers were removed.
- 287,000 women over the age of 65, who should have been directed to other senior schemes, were wrongly enrolled — causing losses amounting to ₹431.7 crore.
- 797,000 women fraudulently enrolled as third members from a single household, leading to an expense of ₹1,196 crore.
So far, benefits to 2.634 million ineligible individuals have been terminated. Minister for Women and Child Development Aditi Tatkare confirmed that the department is now enlisting district collectors and even the Income Tax Department to verify eligibility at the ground level.
While officials admit that the online registration model enabled easier fraudulent entries, they are now planning to implement stricter physical scrutiny measures. “Only women with a household income of up to ₹2.5 lakh a year are eligible. We are working to cross-check this more rigorously,” an official said.
Reacting to the report, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar asserted that the government will recover funds from the 14,000+ men who misused the scheme. “Strict action will follow if they fail to return the money,” he warned.
With over ₹1,640 crore already lost due to mismanagement and fraud, the Ladki Bahin scheme — once seen as a beacon of women’s welfare — now stands at a critical juncture. The coming months will determine whether the state can tighten oversight and restore credibility to a program that millions of women rely on for dignity and support.
