Bihar govt struggles to recover Rs 10,000 wrongly credited to men under women-only scheme

Officials of the Bihar government are facing difficulties in recovering Rs 10,000 mistakenly credited to the bank accounts of male villagers under a cash-transfer scheme meant exclusively for women in Darbhanga district, with several recipients saying they are unable to return the amount as it has already been spent.

The issue has surfaced in Ahiyari village of the Jale Assembly constituency, where a cash assistance of Rs 10,000 each was erroneously transferred to the accounts of some men under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, officials said.

The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 September, ahead of the Assembly elections, to support women entrepreneurs. Under the programme, Rs 10,000 was transferred to the bank accounts of around 1.40 crore women across the state.

Officials of Jeevika, the state government’s poverty alleviation initiative tasked with implementing the scheme, said the wrong transfers occurred due to “technical glitches” during the disbursement process.

According to officials, notices have been issued to at least three male villagers — Nagendra Ram, Balram Sahni and Ram Sagar Kumar — directing them to return the amount credited to their accounts. The men are reportedly disabled and economically poor.

The recipients, however, told reporters that they did not apply for the benefit and had already spent the money, some during Chhath Puja and Diwali, while others purchased goats and ducks to support their livelihoods.

“I did not apply for the amount. The government transferred Rs 10,000 to my account. I am a disabled person, so I spent it during Chhath Puja and Diwali,” Nagendra Ram said.

“Some others bought goats and ducks. Now we are getting notices to return the money. Where will I get it from? I request Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other officials to forgive us and waive the amount,” he added.

Jeevika officials acknowledged that more villagers may have received similar notices, and said efforts were underway to identify the scale of the error.

Responding to the controversy, Bihar Rural Development Minister Sharwan Kumar said he had sought a detailed report.

“I have asked Jeevika officials to submit a detailed report of such transfers, if any, to me at the earliest. It’s a matter of concern,” Kumar told PTI. The Jeevika scheme falls under the rural development department.

The incident has triggered confusion and resentment among villagers and raised questions about implementation gaps and payment verification mechanisms in large-scale cash-transfer schemes.

The matter has also drawn political attention, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) earlier alleging that NDA leaders, in their haste to “buy votes”, ended up transferring Rs 10,000 to men instead of women under the scheme.

Officials said further action would be taken after the submission of the Jeevika report.

With PTI inputs