Mumbai: In a major shocker, it has been revealed that over 14,000 men have been illegally taking money from the “Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana,” a welfare scheme launched by the Maharashtra government specifically for women from economically weaker sections.This stunning revelation came to light after a recent verification process, which uncovered massive irregularities in the scheme. The government has now cracked down, suspending payments to a whopping 500,000 beneficiaries who were found to be ineligible.According to officials, the verification drive exposed several problems. Not only were thousands of men found to be wrongly enrolled, but it was also discovered that many families had more than one woman receiving benefits, which is against the rules. Additionally, some of the beneficiaries were already taking advantage of other government schemes.The “Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana” was a flagship program of the Eknath Shinde-led government, launched with the promise of providing financial support to women in need. The discovery of such large-scale misuse has now put the government in a tough spot.The opposition has been quick to attack the government over the scandal, demanding a thorough investigation into how so many ineligible people, including men, managed to get into the system. They are questioning the government’s oversight and implementation of the scheme.In response, the government has stated that the suspension of payments is a temporary measure. A detailed review will be conducted by district collectors to check the eligibility of all suspended accounts. Those who are found to be genuinely eligible will have their benefits restored, a minister clarified.Despite the controversy, the government has assured that around 2.25 crore eligible women continue to receive their monthly payment of Rs 1,500 without any interruption.