New Delhi, July 27 -- Amid Maharashtra's Women and Child Development Department (WCD) claimed that men fraudulently received financial benefits under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, the audit conducted by the WCD said the Rs.21.44 crore was disbursed to 14,298 men under the scheme.

According to the report, these men manipulated the online registration system and managed to register themselves as female beneficiaries. Incidentally, the fraudulent use scheme was uncovered nearly 10 months after it's launch.

Earlier in 2024, the Maharashtra government launched the Ladki Bahin Yojana, months before the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, promising Rs.1,500 per month to women aged between 21 and 65 years whose families earn less than Rs.2.5 lakh an...