With the state government now firmly in place, the next big challenge is finding the money to implement the grand promises made, particularly the Ladki Bahin scheme. The financial allocation for this scheme, which saw an increase in the handout—from Rs 300 to Rs 2,100 per month per applicant —will now need 1o be backed by proper funding. But here comes the crunch time: while the scheme helped the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi secure victory in the state elections, concerns have risen over its implementation.
Critics have raised questions about the fairness of the distribution process, with many dubious applicants reportedly benefitting fram the scheme. The government has promised that the next installment will be released soon, but there’s a catch. Alongside this announcement, the government revealed that women who may have unlawfully benefited will now undergo thorough scrutiny.
The scheme, introduced by the Shinde government before the elections, has provided financial aid to over two crore women, However, complaints have begun surfacing about women receiving benefits despite not meeting the eligibility erfteria. As a-result, the government has decided to launch an imvestigation into the matter, Minister of Women and Child Development, Aditi Tatkare, confirmed that five types of complaints have been received about the Ladki Bahin scheme, She stated that while not all applications will undergo blanket scrutiny, specific applications will be examined closely.
Complaints have come from both local administrations and beneficiaries themselves, with some stating that they are no longer eligible for the scheme. According to Tatkare, the government will not be changing the original Government Resolution {GR), but will verify applications flagged by these complaints.
