A HUGE blunder? Nitish Kumar govt sent women's welfare scheme money to men’s accounts, now seeking recovery

A welfare scheme for women in Bihar, launched by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar before the Bihar Assembly polls in November, promised ₹10,000 to the 1.54 crore women of the Indian state. But due to some data discrepancies, the amount was also credited in the accounts of some men. Now, the authorities are seeking to recover the money sent under the Women’s Employment Scheme from the accounts of the men. The scheme aimed to provide financial aid to the women to help them start small ventures. However, the demand for return had made the men in the state furious.

Officials in Darbhanga district confirmed that the mistake occurred in Jale block, where several male beneficiaries unexpectedly received the money meant exclusively for women. It was claimed that the transfers were the result of a clerical and technical error during data processing.

After the blunder was identified, authorities issued written recovery notices, asking the male recipients to deposit the amount back and submit proof of repayment. So far, 14 men have been notified of this process.

But now, the men are furious about the recovery, as many of them come from extremely poor families. Balram Sahni, who is physically disabled and works as a daily-wage construction labourer earning about Rs 300 a day, said returning the amount is impossible for him. “The money is gone. It was used for survival," he said.

“If it was a mistake, why didn’t the government inform us immediately? Why did the notice come nearly three months later?" another recipient asked.