1K Haryana men caught sneaking into Rs 2,100/mth Lado Yojana

As the Haryana Government prepares to deposit Rs 2,100 into the accounts of beneficiary women under the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana from November 1, it has emerged that over 1,000 men tried to fake their gender to get listed for the scheme.

Fortunately, officials at the Haryana Social Justice, Empowerment, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes and Antyodaya (SEWA) Department, which is implementing the scheme, were aware of a similar fraud in Maharashtra where over 12,000 men benefited from the women-only Ladki Bahin Yojana.

The SEWA Department introduced a verification method requiring an applicant to upload a live photo while submitting personal details. The photos were cross-verified with Aadhaar, enabling the officials to weed out over 1,000 men from the list of beneficiaries, said sources.

Women aged 23 or above, with annual family income not exceeding Rs 1 lakh, who are residents of Haryana and living in the state for the past at least 15 years are eligible under the Lado Lakshmi Yojana.

In Maharashtra, more than 12,000 men falsely received Rs 1,500 per month under the Ladki Bahin Yojana for 13 months. The total fraud amounted to over Rs 24 crore. The scheme was launched months before the November 2024 Assembly elections and played a significant role in the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti’s victory.

Haryana’s cash incentive for women is second only to Jharkhand where Rs 2,500 per month is given under the Mukhya Mantri Maiya Samman Yojana.

Sources in the Haryana SEWA Department said around 5 lakh women could start receiving Rs 2,100 in their accounts from November 1. Though women from families with an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh are currently eligible under the scheme, CM Nayab Singh Saini has said that the limit would be raised in the coming months to include more beneficiaries.

Each application for the scheme was submitted through Lado Lakshmi App, which has been developed by Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation Limited. The applicant has to provide personal and family information (including Aadhaar details), residence and income certificates, Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam ID, and details of electricity connection, vehicle ownership and bank accounts. A live photo is uploaded towards the end.

In the next step, the Citizen Resources Information Department (CRID) cross-verifies the details of the applicants with the Parivar Pehchan Patra database. The rules mention that once an application is marked ineligible by the CRID, it cannot be changed to eligible status. A genuine applicant is required to submit a fresh application with updated details.

In case a beneficiary receives the grant after furnishing wrong information, a District Social Welfare Officer has the right to recover the amount along with 12 per cent annual interest. The recovery penalty can be slapped on such a person or his or her family members, including husband or son, or as arrears of land revenue under the Haryana Land Revenue Act. In case there is no movable or immovable property in the beneficiary’s name, there is a provision of civil imprisonment to enforce a decree.