CAG report exposes financial irregularities in Maharashtra's Ladki Behen scheme
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed an additional expenditure of ₹3,541.16 crore and serious financial irregularities in Maharashtra's popular 'Ladki Bahin' scheme. The report mentions thousands of crores lying in deposit accounts and significant management shortcomings. The audit found an additional expenditure of ₹3,541 crore without any specific justification. An objection was raised over ₹15,586 crore pending in deposit accounts.
According to the CAG report, ₹3,541.16 crore more was spent on implementing the scheme, along with thousands of crores lying in deposit accounts and major financial management shortcomings. The CAG report, presented in the State Assembly on Friday, revealed that the Women and Child Development Department did not provide a concrete response to the additional expenditure incurred in the scheme. According to a report by the English newspaper 'The Indian Express', the Women and Child Development Department spent ₹33,237.24 crore against the approved budget of ₹29,693.09 crore for the scheme, resulting in an additional expenditure of ₹3,541.16 crore. It was mentioned that a total grant of ₹29,693.09 crore was made available for the scheme, which included ₹26,200 crore through supplementary provisions and ₹3,490.75 crore reallocated from the Ladki Bahin scheme.
Women receive ₹1,500 every month
Under this scheme, started in June 2024, women aged 21 to 65 years whose family annual income is less than ₹2.5 lakh receive ₹1,500 every month. It is believed that this scheme played a significant role in the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance's victory in 230 out of 288 seats in the November 2024 Assembly elections. Since the inception of the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana', questions have been raised about the burden on the state treasury. A large number of ineligible names were also found during the regular verification of beneficiaries under the scheme.
14,000 men falsely claimed benefits for 10 months
In October 2025, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and State Minister Chhagan Bhujbal claimed that almost all government departments were facing a financial crunch due to this scheme. Subsequently, in February, State Minister Ganesh Naik also acknowledged that the scheme had put pressure on the financial condition of government departments. However, he clarified that the government has no intention of discontinuing it. Currently, the state government spends approximately ₹3,700 crore every month to pay 2.4 crore beneficiaries under this scheme. A review conducted in July 2025 also revealed that more than 14,000 men allegedly misrepresented their identity to claim benefits for 10 months. According to the Women and Child Development Department, 14,298 men fraudulently registered under the scheme, causing a loss of ₹21.4 crore to the state. Subsequently, payments to their accounts were stopped. Similarly, during a statewide verification campaign in June 2025, around 80 lakh women were found ineligible for the scheme. After the deadline for completing e-KYC ended on April 30, the number of beneficiaries reduced from approximately 2.4 crore to 1.7 crore. Opposition parties alleged that the state government is deliberately reducing the number of beneficiaries due to financial pressure.