Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday warned that the government will not tolerate malpractices or irregularities, including collection of money from eligible persons, in the implementation of various ambitious schemes in the state.

CM Shinde’s warning came during his virtual meeting with the divisional commissioners, district collectors, and chief executive officers of the zilla parishads on Thursday evening.

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The various schemes announced in the budget and the state legislature with an eye on the forthcoming Assembly elections included the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, Mukhyamantri Yuva Karyaprashikshan Yojana, Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana, free higher education scheme for girls, Pilgrimage Darshan Yojana, Mukhyamantri Baliraja Power Concession, and the Mukhyamantri Vayoshri Yojana.

“Collectors and divisional commissioners should be vigilant to avoid malpractices or irregularities in the implementation of the schemes. If some elements are found indulging in malpractices in the registration of the beneficiaries, the matter should be reported and stopped immediately.

“In the case of Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, if anyone demands money from eligible women at the time of enrolment, strict action will be taken against them. Not only should they be suspended, a case should also be filed against them,” the Chief Minister said.

“The district collectors should keep an eye that no one cheats the eligible women in this scheme,” he added.

The Chief Minister also directed the officials to take effective action to reach the beneficiaries of these schemes, as he asked them to prepare a list of the beneficiaries on a war footing for the effective implementation of the various schemes.

He also directed the appointment of a coordinating officer for each scheme at the district level and to review it every week.

Women and Child Welfare Department Secretary Anup Kumar told the CM that 59 lakh applications have been filed online and 1.5 lakh applications offline under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.

A record 7.5 lakh applications were received in a single day, he said.