India, Aug. 22 -- The BJP-led Mahayuti government's flagship Ladki Bahin scheme, under fire since its launch for draining the state's treasury, has given away Rs.9,605 crore to individuals who were not eligible for the scheme.

The welfare scheme, which provides women from economically weaker sections a monthly dole of Rs.1,500, was launched in July 2024 and is widely seen as having played a pivotal role in the Mahayuti coalition's victory in the Assembly elections.

The scheme's list of beneficiaries has been sanitised several times over two years but this did not weed out all the ineligible beneficiaries. According to data obtained by HT through a Right to Information (RTI) application, the state spent Rs.9,605 crore on 9.2 million inel...