While beneficiaries continue to complain about delays in form filling to avail benefits of the Ladki Bahin Yojna, a couple in Satara was held for fraudulently filing 30 applications to receive monetary benefits under the Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.
According to a information, the accused have been identified as Ganesh Sanjay Ghadge, 30, and Pratiksha Popat Jadhav, 22. They are residents of Nimsod village in Khatav tehsil, Satara district.
Ghadge applied for the Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana using different Aadhar cards for each application but provided his wife’s bank account details to receive the payout of ₹1,500 per person.
Here's how the fraud came to light
It has come to light that registration for the scheme was done using Aadhaar cards. This issue was brought to attention following a complaint by a woman from Kharghar (Navi Mumbai). Pooja Mahamuni from Kharghar wanted to apply for the Ladki Bahin Yojana, but her application was not being processed. She reported this issue to the tehsil office in Panvel. It was then discovered that an application had already been submitted using her Aadhaar card number and that the mobile number of Pratiksha Jadhav was linked to it. Subsequently, the Panvel tehsil office filed a complaint with Navi Mumbai Police, and the case was transferred to Vaduj Police Station for further investigation.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that the couple, Pratiksha Jadhav and Ganesh Sanjay Ghadge, from Nimsod, District Khatav, had filled out a total of 30 applications. They had used Aadhaar cards of their relatives—sister Komal Sanjay Pisal, aunt Sunanda Sanjay Pisal (residing in Chitli), Mangal Sanjay Ghadge (residing in Nimsod), and Pooja Balasaheb Jadhav (residing in Umberde, Karad Road, Jadhavvasti, Gursale)—as well as 25 additional Aadhaar card numbers obtained through online searches, including some from other provinces. The police are currently investigating these matters.
Interestingly, Pratiksha Jadhav had linked a single account at the Vaduj branch of Mandeshi Mahila Sahakari Bank for the registration of 26 out of the 30 applications. Additionally, the same photo of Pratiksha was used on all 30 applications, although her clothing and hairstyle varied in each photo. According to the application registered with Pratiksha's original Aadhaar card, three thousand rupees have been deposited into the account so far. Child Development Project Officer SS Khabde has filed a complaint regarding this issue at Vaduj Police Station. Vaduj Assistant Police Inspector Vikrant Patil is conducting the investigation.
Mukhya Mantri Ladki Bahin Yojana
The Mukhya Mantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, a flagship scheme of the Eknath Shinde-led government for women's welfare, was announced in the state budget presented at the end of June. It is expected to cost the state exchequer ₹46,000 crore annually.
Under the scheme, married, divorced, and destitute women aged 21-65 will receive ₹1,500 per month, with the annual family income of beneficiaries capped at ₹2.5 lakh. Given the overwhelming response to the scheme, the cut-off date for submitting applications by eligible women has been extended to September 30.
