12,431 men got benefits under government’s flagship scheme for women in Maharashtra: Report
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has reportedly found that at least 12,431 men received benefits under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, a scheme intended exclusively for women aged 21 to 65 from families with an annual income below Rs 2.5 lakh, which provides Rs 1,500 per month.
According to data obtained by The Indian Express through a Right to Information (RTI) request, 12,431 men and 77,980 women were wrongly disbursed Rs 1,500 for 13 months and 12 months, respectively, under the scheme. The erroneous payments amount to approximately Rs 24.24 crore for men, Rs 140.28 crore for women, and at least Rs 164.52 crore in total.
In its response to RTI queries from the newspaper, the Women and Child Development (WCD) department, which runs the scheme, stated that all 12,431 men and 77,980 women identified as ineligible have been removed from the list of beneficiaries following a verification process.
In a separate RTI response, the WCD department revealed that at least 2,400 government employees, including men, had availed undue benefits under the scheme, and disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against them. However, the department also confirmed that no action or recovery process has been initiated so far in any of the cases involving wrongful disbursement, the report added.
When asked about the RTI data, a state government official described the irregularity as the “tip of the iceberg”. “We are yet to calculate the total amount paid to these ineligible accounts. These figures may rise as verification continues,” TIE quoted the official as saying.
The official also mentioned that disbursement of funds to 26.34 lakh suspect accounts was suspended in June-July 2025 pending verification.
Officials further pointed out that the “irregularities” were uncovered during a verification exercise, which primarily found that the misuse of the scheme was due to the submission of incorrect data and misrepresentation of income and asset details by the beneficiaries.
“Some beneficiaries were availing multiple government schemes at the same time. In several households, more than two members were receiving benefits. Thousands of government staffers were found taking benefits despite being ineligible. Some had annual incomes exceeding Rs 2.5 lakh,” TIE quoted an official as saying.
The official added that, to prevent further misuse of the scheme, a statewide e-KYC verification drive has been launched for all existing and new beneficiaries, and the process is expected to be completed soon.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
