Why Mahayuti's Ladki Bahin dole is under CAG, Opposition fire
The CAG flagged excess expenditure of over Rs 3,500 crore while the Opposition is questioning how the Maharashtra scheme amassed over 9 million ineligible beneficiaries
Under the scheme, eligible women in the 21-65 age group receive Rs 1,500 per month directly into their bank accounts. The scheme, implemented by the women and child development department, was part of a gravy train of populist measures announced by the erstwhile Eknath Shinde-led government after the Mahayuti’s reverses in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Mahayuti even promised to increase the dole to Rs 2,100 per month if elected to power.
“For implementation of the scheme, funds amounting to Rs 26,200 crore were made available through the supplementary budget. Additionally, Rs 3,490.75 crore was re-appropriated from the Lek Ladki Yojana. Thus, a total grant of Rs 29,693.09 crore was made available. Against this, the department incurred an expenditure of Rs 33,237.24 crore, resulting in excess expenditure of Rs 3,541.16 crore. For this, the department did not provide any specific justification,” stated the CAG’s State Finances Audit Report for 2024-25, tabled in the state legislature during its monsoon session.
Test check of vouchers above Rs 1,000 crore relating to the scheme, aggregating Rs 29,732.01 crore, showed that Rs 15,586 crore drawn during January-March 2025 was transferred to the drawing and disbursing officer's virtual personal deposit account (VPDA). “This indicates that the funds were not required for immediate utilisation and were drawn without actual expenditure needs, contrary to principles of budgetary discipline and financial propriety. Significant excess expenditure remained unexplained, and large sums were drawn and parked in VPDA accounts without immediate requirement. This reflects weak budget estimation, inadequate financial controls,” the CAG report added.
In what has added fuel to the controversy, over 9 million beneficiaries have been removed from the scheme after verification. A majority of those dropped (6.2 million or 67 per cent of those ineligible) failed to complete the know your customer (eKYC) procedures. Others were found ineligible because they flouted eligibility norms, such as exceeding the scheme’s income ceiling of Rs 2.5 lakh per year, were government employees, had crossed the age limit, were receiving benefits under other schemes or in some cases were men.
Beneficiaries removed from the ambit of the scheme have received around Rs 14,000 crore. The state government has announced that the money will be recovered in the case of government employees and male beneficiaries.
At present, around 15 million women are covered under the scheme, which is a huge drop from the 24.3 million beneficiaries at its peak.
However, leaders of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have launched a broadside at the state government. Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), charged that money from the government treasury was used to “purchase votes illegally” and called this “the biggest malfeasance of the century”. He demanded that the cabinet be booked for misappropriating government funds.
The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) also targeted the government. “The Ladki Bahin Yojana deletions are unacceptable in any democracy. One in four beneficiaries are now declared invalid. Either this is large-scale corruption or spectacular incompetence. It can only be one or the other. Will the CAG intervene?” demanded Anish Gawande, national spokesperson of the NCP (SCP).
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Under the scheme, eligible women in the 21-65 age group receive Rs 1,500 per month directly into their bank accounts. The scheme, implemented by the women and child development department, was part of a gravy train of populist measures announced by the erstwhile Eknath Shinde-led government after the Mahayuti’s reverses in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Mahayuti even promised to increase the dole to Rs 2,100 per month if elected to power.
“For implementation of the scheme, funds amounting to Rs 26,200 crore were made available through the supplementary budget. Additionally, Rs 3,490.75 crore was re-appropriated from the Lek Ladki Yojana. Thus, a total grant of Rs 29,693.09 crore was made available. Against this, the department incurred an expenditure of Rs 33,237.24 crore, resulting in excess expenditure of Rs 3,541.16 crore. For this, the department did not provide any specific justification,” stated the CAG’s State Finances Audit Report for 2024-25, tabled in the state legislature during its monsoon session.
Test check of vouchers above Rs 1,000 crore relating to the scheme, aggregating Rs 29,732.01 crore, showed that Rs 15,586 crore drawn during January-March 2025 was transferred to the drawing and disbursing officer's virtual personal deposit account (VPDA). “This indicates that the funds were not required for immediate utilisation and were drawn without actual expenditure needs, contrary to principles of budgetary discipline and financial propriety. Significant excess expenditure remained unexplained, and large sums were drawn and parked in VPDA accounts without immediate requirement. This reflects weak budget estimation, inadequate financial controls,” the CAG report added.
In what has added fuel to the controversy, over 9 million beneficiaries have been removed from the scheme after verification. A majority of those dropped (6.2 million or 67 per cent of those ineligible) failed to complete the know your customer (eKYC) procedures. Others were found ineligible because they flouted eligibility norms, such as exceeding the scheme’s income ceiling of Rs 2.5 lakh per year, were government employees, had crossed the age limit, were receiving benefits under other schemes or in some cases were men.
Beneficiaries removed from the ambit of the scheme have received around Rs 14,000 crore. The state government has announced that the money will be recovered in the case of government employees and male beneficiaries.
At present, around 15 million women are covered under the scheme, which is a huge drop from the 24.3 million beneficiaries at its peak.
However, leaders of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have launched a broadside at the state government. Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), charged that money from the government treasury was used to “purchase votes illegally” and called this “the biggest malfeasance of the century”. He demanded that the cabinet be booked for misappropriating government funds.
The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) also targeted the government. “The Ladki Bahin Yojana deletions are unacceptable in any democracy. One in four beneficiaries are now declared invalid. Either this is large-scale corruption or spectacular incompetence. It can only be one or the other. Will the CAG intervene?” demanded Anish Gawande, national spokesperson of the NCP (SCP).
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Under the scheme, eligible women in the 21-65 age group receive Rs 1,500 per month directly into their bank accounts. The scheme, implemented by the women and child development department, was part of a gravy train of populist measures announced by the erstwhile Eknath Shinde-led government after the Mahayuti’s reverses in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Mahayuti even promised to increase the dole to Rs 2,100 per month if elected to power.
“For implementation of the scheme, funds amounting to Rs 26,200 crore were made available through the supplementary budget. Additionally, Rs 3,490.75 crore was re-appropriated from the Lek Ladki Yojana. Thus, a total grant of Rs 29,693.09 crore was made available. Against this, the department incurred an expenditure of Rs 33,237.24 crore, resulting in excess expenditure of Rs 3,541.16 crore. For this, the department did not provide any specific justification,” stated the CAG’s State Finances Audit Report for 2024-25, tabled in the state legislature during its monsoon session.
Test check of vouchers above Rs 1,000 crore relating to the scheme, aggregating Rs 29,732.01 crore, showed that Rs 15,586 crore drawn during January-March 2025 was transferred to the drawing and disbursing officer's virtual personal deposit account (VPDA). “This indicates that the funds were not required for immediate utilisation and were drawn without actual expenditure needs, contrary to principles of budgetary discipline and financial propriety. Significant excess expenditure remained unexplained, and large sums were drawn and parked in VPDA accounts without immediate requirement. This reflects weak budget estimation, inadequate financial controls,” the CAG report added.
In what has added fuel to the controversy, over 9 million beneficiaries have been removed from the scheme after verification. A majority of those dropped (6.2 million or 67 per cent of those ineligible) failed to complete the know your customer (eKYC) procedures. Others were found ineligible because they flouted eligibility norms, such as exceeding the scheme’s income ceiling of Rs 2.5 lakh per year, were government employees, had crossed the age limit, were receiving benefits under other schemes or in some cases were men.
Beneficiaries removed from the ambit of the scheme have received around Rs 14,000 crore. The state government has announced that the money will be recovered in the case of government employees and male beneficiaries.
At present, around 15 million women are covered under the scheme, which is a huge drop from the 24.3 million beneficiaries at its peak.
However, leaders of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have launched a broadside at the state government. Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), charged that money from the government treasury was used to “purchase votes illegally” and called this “the biggest malfeasance of the century”. He demanded that the cabinet be booked for misappropriating government funds.
The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) also targeted the government. “The Ladki Bahin Yojana deletions are unacceptable in any democracy. One in four beneficiaries are now declared invalid. Either this is large-scale corruption or spectacular incompetence. It can only be one or the other. Will the CAG intervene?” demanded Anish Gawande, national spokesperson of the NCP (SCP).
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