Mumbai, Aug 1 (IANS) Maharashtra Minister of Women and Child Welfare Aditi Tatkare said on Friday that the government will disburse the financial aid of Rs 1,500 for July to the eligible women beneficiaries under Ladki Bahin Yojana on the eve of Raksha Bandhan, on August 8.

In her post on X, Minister Tatkare said, “Raksha Bandhan gift to beloved sisters! Under the guidance of Honourable Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the honorarium of Rs 1500 for July will be distributed to all eligible beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. The honorarium amount will be directly credited to the bank accounts of all eligible beloved sisters through direct benefit transfer.”

The government resolution was issued on Friday on the disbursement of financial aid of Rs 1,500 to eligible women beneficiaries under the Ladki Bahin Yojana for July on August 8.

The government has transferred Rs 2,984 crore for the disbursement of the July instalment. The Mahayuti government has made a provision of Rs 36,000 crore for Ladki Bahin Yojana for the year 2025-26.

Earlier, Minister Tatkare said that out of the 2.52 crore beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which was implemented ahead of the assembly elections, as many as 26.34 lakh women were availing the monthly aid of Rs 1,500 despite being ineligible.

Furthermore, the department has also found that 14,298 men have also taken advantage of the scheme. The department sources have estimated that the loss due to ineligible beneficiaries is likely to be around Rs 4,800 crore to date.

Minister Tatkare said, “It has been found that some beneficiaries were availing benefits of multiple schemes, some families had more than two beneficiaries, and in some cases, men had applied for the scheme.”

She added that based on this information, starting from June 2025, the benefits for these 26.34 lakh applicants have been temporarily suspended.

“Additionally, the government has disbursed the financial aid of Rs 1,500 for June to approximately 2.25 crore eligible beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin Yojana,” she said.

The minister pointed out that the information of the 26.34 lakh beneficiaries whose benefits have been temporarily suspended will be verified by the respective District Collectors, and the benefits for those found eligible will be resumed by the government.”

She further added, “Regarding the action to be taken against fraudulent beneficiaries who have misled the government and availed benefits through improper means, a suitable decision will be taken at the government level after discussions with the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.”

The department sources said that it had sought information from various other departments of the government to identify all the eligible applications under this scheme.

According to the information provided by the Information and Technology Department, 26.34 lakh beneficiaries are ineligible and their aid has been suspended temporarily till further scrutiny.

Sources said that about five beneficiaries under the Ladki Bahin Yojana have been earlier declared ineligible during the scrutiny when they were found taking benefits under other schemes, while some have crossed the age bar.

Of the five lakh beneficiaries, 30,000 beneficiaries of the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana, 1.10 lakh women above 65 years of age and four-wheelers in the name of family members, and 1.60 lakh beneficiaries of the Namoshakti Yojana, had already been declared ineligible.

–IANS

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