The Ladki Bahin scheme, under which eligible women receive direct financial assistance from the state government, was one of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance’s flagship welfare initiatives and is widely credited with contributing to its emphatic victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The CAG report said a total grant of Rs 29,693.09 crore was made available for the scheme, including Rs 26,200 crore through supplementary provisions and Rs 3,490.75 crore reappropriated from the Lek Ladki Yojana.
The audit also raised concerns over the handling of scheme funds. It found that Rs 15,586 crore withdrawn between January and March 2025 was transferred to virtual personal deposit accounts (VPDAs).
‘This large-scale withdrawal indicates that the funds were not required for immediate use and were drawn from the treasury without actual expenditure needs,’ the report said, flagging concerns over adherence to financial norms.
The audit observations come amid questions over the implementation of the scheme itself. A recent state-wide verification exercise led to the removal of more than 92 lakh beneficiaries, as per an Indian Express report, significantly higher than the nearly 80 lakh deletions publicly acknowledged by the government.
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