The 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' (Chief Minister My Dear Sister Scheme), launched by the Maharashtra government for women, is now embroiled in controversy due to a major scam. The scheme aimed to provide financial assistance of ₹1500 per month to economically disadvantaged women in the state, but it has now been revealed that approximately 14,298 men have fraudulently availed themselves of the scheme by posing as women, causing a loss of around ₹21.44 crore to the government so far.
The scheme was implemented in August 2024, and this fraud had been ongoing since then, only now being exposed. Supriya Sule has demanded a CBI inquiry from the central government regarding this serious matter.
Supriya Sule's Big Claim
Supriya Sule, the working president of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), has claimed that approximately 14,000 men have benefited from the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana'. While interacting with journalists in Pune, she questioned how the names of male beneficiaries appeared on the list when the scheme was exclusively for women.
She demanded that the government identify the contractor who included these fraudulent names in the list of beneficiaries. Supriya Sule said that the government initiates investigations by agencies like the CBI and ED even in minor cases, so why is there so much silence on this scam?
Ajit Pawar's Strict Stance
Responding to the entire matter, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar said that if the investigation proves that men have benefited from the scheme, the entire amount will be recovered from them.
He also mentioned that some women were availing themselves of the scheme despite being employed, which is against the rules of the scheme. Pawar said that if beneficiaries have knowingly provided false information, strict legal action will be taken against them.
Aditi Tatkare's Revelation
State Minister for Women and Child Development Aditi Tatkare informed on her X (formerly Twitter) account that a large number of ineligible people were benefiting from the scheme.
Based on the data received from the IT department, it has come to light that approximately 26.34 lakh beneficiaries did not meet the conditions of the scheme, yet they were paid.
Among these, many were already benefiting from other government schemes, some families had more than two beneficiaries of this scheme, and in some cases, men had also applied for the scheme.
Benefits Suspended from June 2025
Minister Tatkare informed that due to these irregularities, the payment of these 26.34 lakh beneficiaries has been temporarily suspended from June 2025. However, the amount for June has been distributed to the remaining approximately 2.25 crore eligible women.
Now, the investigation of these ineligible beneficiaries will be under the supervision of the District Collectors. Beneficiaries who are found eligible will be re-included in the scheme.
Supriya Sule emphasized that the government should take action against such fraudulent beneficiaries and take a decision as soon as possible to identify those involved in this scam.
Questions Raised on the System
After the scam in this scheme, serious questions have been raised about the state's investigation and monitoring system. How such a large number of men and ineligible people were able to benefit from the scheme has become a matter of concern.
This is not the first time that such irregularities have been found in government schemes in Maharashtra. Earlier, cases of providing money to ineligible beneficiaries have also come to light in the Sanitary Napkin Subsidy Scheme and the Shiv Bhojan Thali Scheme.
