New Delhi: More than 12,000 men were granted benefits under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government’s flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana which gives Rs. 1,500 each month to women aged between 21-65 years.At least 12,431 men received the benefits and were later removed from the list of beneficiaries after verification, reported Indian Express.In response to Right to Information (RTI) queries by the newspaper, the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department, which runs the scheme, said that along with these men, 77,980 women who were also identified as ineligible.According to the RTI reply, 12,431 men were wrongly disbursed Rs. 1,500 each month for a period of 13 months, which makes the total amount under the scheme received by men to be Rs. 24.24 crore. Similarly, the 77,980 ineligible women were disbursed a total amount of Rs. 140.28 crore over a period of 12 months, reported Indian Express.The scheme, which was launched in June 2024, just months before the Assembly elections, has approximately 2.41 crore women beneficiaries, costing the government nearly Rs 3,700 crore per month.The WCD Department stated in a separate RTI response that at least 2,400 government employees, including men, were among those who availed undue benefits under the scheme. Disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against them, it said. The RTI response added that no action or recovery process has been initiated till now for the wrongful disbursement.“Under the scheme, an estimated 77,980 women beneficiaries have been declared ineligible. They were found ineligible based on government resolutions dated June 28, July 3 and July 12, 2024, which outlines the eligibility and ineligibility criteria. Action against these beneficiaries is yet to be decided at the state level,” said the WCD in another response.According to state government officials, “irregularities” were revealed during a verification exercise. The main discrepancies pertained to submission of wrong data, and misrepresentation of income and assets.“Some beneficiaries were availing multiple government schemes at the same time. In several households, more than two members were receiving benefits. Thousands of government staffers were found taking benefits despite being ineligible. Some had annual incomes exceeding ?2.5 lakh,” the official told the newspaper.