NEW DELHI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Monday admitted that the state authorities made a “mistake” in extending monetary advantages to all candidates of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana with out ample scrutiny, attributing the lapse to time constraints forward of final 12 months’s meeting elections.“We made a mistake of giving the monetary profit to all girls (candidates). We had little time to scrutinise the functions and determine the ineligible ones. At the moment, elections have been speculated to be introduced in two to 3 months,” information company PTI reported Pawar as saying.The Ladki Bahin scheme, launched in August 2024, gives Rs 1,500 monthly to eligible girls aged 21 to 65 years with an annual earnings under Rs 2.5 lakh. Although it was designed to empower poor girls, scrutiny revealed 1000’s of ineligible recipients, together with over 2,200 authorities workers.Pawar, who additionally heads the state’s finance division, clarified that the help already deposited won’t be withdrawn. “When the scheme was unveiled, the federal government had appealed that solely eligible girls apply however that did not occur. A scrutiny is being carried out. Solely the needy girls will get the month-to-month payout,” he stated.His admission drew sturdy reactions from the opposition. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut demanded Pawar’s resignation, accusing him of enabling a misuse of public funds to achieve electoral benefit. Raut stated the finance division had presided over a “loot of presidency cash for the sake of votes”.Earlier, Maharashtra minister Aditi Tatkare confirmed the federal government had disqualified 2,289 ineligible authorities workers after analyzing practically two lakh functions. In a current put up on X, she assured the general public that such scrutiny would proceed frequently. “After realising this, such beneficiaries will not be being given the advantage of the scheme,” she wrote.The Ladki Bahin scheme was credited with boosting the Mahayuti alliance’s efficiency within the November 2024 meeting elections. Nonetheless, it has additionally led to budgetary pressure. Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat conceded that the federal government was beneath strain, saying, “It’s a actuality that the month-to-month quantity of Rs 1,500 can’t be raised to Rs 2,100.” He added that the scheme would proceed even when it required the state to borrow funds.Shirsat additionally criticised the finance division for diverting funds from his ministry with out discover. In March, he alleged that Rs 7,000 crore had been slashed from the Social Justice Division’s finances, and on Monday, he known as for a legislation to guard such departments from arbitrary cuts.In response to official tips, beneficiaries should meet earnings and residency standards and supply Aadhaar-linked financial institution accounts. Newly married girls can current a wedding certificates if their title doesn’t seem on a ration card. Whereas the scheme goals to assist girls’s financial independence, the federal government now faces rising scrutiny over its execution.