Over 14k men received Ladki Bahin payouts

Fraudulent claims by men, overage and ineligible women cost state ₹1,640 crore: Scrutiny report

- HT Correspondent

More than 14,000 men snuck into the sisterhood that receives a monthly payout of ₹1,500 under the state's flagship Ladki Bahin Yojana. These 14,298 men, who fraudulently received the direct cash benefit for 10 months, caused a loss of ₹21.44 crore to the state exchequer.

The Ladki Bahin Yojana was a game-changer for the Mahayuti coalition, helping them sweep to power in last year’s assembly election.

Its beneficiaries are meant to be exclusively women from low-income groups, aged between 21 and 65. The money is meant to improve their health, nutrition, and general well-being.

Announced in June last year, the scheme has been controversial for the unprecedented burden it has placed on the state's finances. It has also been riddled with ineligible beneficiaries detected during the monthly scrutiny exercise.