Listen to this article:

Maharashtra is in an unprecedented mess every which way. The key state, which once boasted of being one of the best-governed states, is now becoming more famous for one of its controversial dole outs and the massive irregularities that have come into sharp focus.

The multi-fold crisis stems from the massive scam in the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which contributed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and allies’ decisive win in the October 2024 Assembly elections, coupled with sustained attempts to weaken the opposition.

Over 92 lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojna have been removed after two years following the verification exercise by the Maharashtra government. 

Among them, male beneficiaries were 29,000, government employees were 8,000, e-KYC not completed were 62 lakh, already receiving Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana benefits were 3.6 lakh, there were 2.5 lakh who were among more than two beneficiaries in a family, those whose age was above 65 years were 1.8 lakh, family income above Rs 2.5 lakh were 16 lakh, according a report published on The Indian Express.

Interestingly, beneficiaries who were removed after the verification, received about Rs 14,000 crore, the media report says.

There have been no official clarification on the news report.

What the report exposes is the quality of governance in the premier state and the gross opportunism of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners at the cost of the state exchequer. 

It appears that the BJP-led coalition neglected the criteria applied for the beneficiaries and virtually allowed everyone, including males, to get electoral advantage. Does it remind one of the distribution of what the BJP-called ‘revdis’?

This scheme was launched in June 2024 after the ruling NDA received a........

© The Wire