India, Sept. 12 -- After discovering 2.6 million ineligible beneficiaries under its flagship Ladki Bahin scheme, the Maharashtra government has identified another ambitious scheme similarly draining its coffers.

Only last week, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government realised it was paying 79,000 farmers under its Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana (NSMNY) Rs.500 a month even though they did not qualify for the benefit, a loss of Rs.110.6 crore in just under two and a half years.

The discovery was made when the central government sent the state a list of 1.44 lakh beneficiaries under scrutiny under the centrally sponsored PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. The state uses the same list to identify beneficiaries under its NSMNY, launched in ...