YAVATMAL: Government of Maharashtra‘s much acclaimed ‘Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin‘ Schemewhose goal is financial independence for women, got off to a bad start when the recipient’s money landed in a man’s account on Friday.
Jaffar Sheikha young man from Yavatmal’s Arni taluka, was surprised to receive Rs 3,000 in his dormant account of a nationalised bank. He had neither applied nor submitted any documents to become a beneficiary as the scheme was exclusively for women.
The state government has already disbursed the stipend into the accounts of 963,000 women a day before the official launch of the scheme on Saturday. The state had started transferring the stipend for two months – Rs 3 lakh – on August 14 to avoid any last-minute mishaps.
“State technical team seeks applicants for Ladki Bahin program”
Jaffar Sheikh of Arni taluka received a sum of Rs 3 lakh under the ‘Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin’ scheme, although he had not applied for it. Mandar Patki, CEO of Yavatmal ZP, confirmed the error and his office has forwarded the complaint to the concerned authorities for investigation.
Jaffar Sheikh said he opened the account about 12 years ago, but it remained inactive due to lack of transactions. He was surprised when he received a message saying the money had been deposited, asking him to update his Aadhaar KYC.He went to the bank and asked for a bank statement. It was then that Jaffar realised that the amount had indeed been credited under the Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme.
The incident caused a stir in the administration as many women had difficulty submitting applications due to problems with linking Aadhaar with their bank accounts.
Patki said, “We have forwarded the details of this case to the state technical team for investigation. We will find out who the beneficiary is and where the form was filled.” He added that at first glance it seems that the problem is related to Aadhaar card Details.
“When the form is forwarded for verification, the Aadhaar number is partially obscured, only the last four digits are visible. It could be that the last four digits of the applicant and Jaffar match. Also, this form could have been filled from anywhere in Maharashtra. The state will trace the original applicant and ensure that she gets the money she is entitled to,” Patki said.