Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil on Tuesday demanded accountability over the alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra government's flagship Ladki Bahin scheme after around 80 lakh women were found ineligible for benefits during verification.
Patil asked how the alleged "bogus" beneficiaries continued to receive benefits for nearly 20 months, wondering whether the huge expenditure points to "calculated corruption".
"If these 80 lakh beneficiaries were bogus, why did the government support them for 20 months?" the former state minister asked.
The government has said that nearly 80 lakh beneficiaries of the scheme were removed after verification and the expiry of the April 30 e-KYC (Know Your Customer) deadline, drawing sharp criticism from the Opposition parties.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the government will not discontinue the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' welfare scheme, clarifying that 1.70 crore eligible women will keep receiving benefits despite the recent removal of lakhs of beneficiaries.
Patil, meanwhile, said the government should have ensured a proper verification mechanism when the scheme was launched to prevent ineligible persons from receiving benefits.
He alleged that funds may have been distributed without adequate scrutiny and questioned whether the exercise was carried out with electoral considerations in mind.
Patil claimed that at Rs 1,500 per month, nearly Rs 24,000 crore had been disbursed to these (illegal) beneficiaries over the last 20 months. "If the government's claim is correct, then who is responsible for this huge expenditure? Is this corruption done in a very calculative manner?" he asked.
Patil demanded that the government fix responsibility for the alleged lapses and clarify how such a large number of beneficiaries were found ineligible after receiving financial assistance for an extended period.
(With inputs from PTI)