Maharashtra economy collapsed due to institutional corruption: Shiv Sena (UBT) in 'Saamana'

The Shiv Sena UBT on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on the Maharashtra government alleging that widespread institutional corruption has severely affected the states economyIn an editorial published in its party mouthpiece Saamana the Uddhav Thackerayled party cited the Comptroller and Auditor Generals CAG observations on the Ladki Bahin Yojana to allege financial irregularities and misuse of public fundsThe ruling Mahayuti government has not responded to the latest allegations made in the editorialEditorial cites CAG findings on Ladki Bahin YojanaReferring to the CAG report the editorial said the Ladki Bahin Yojana under which eligible women were promised financial assistance of Rs 1500 per month had an outlay of Rs 14000 crore and covered around 243 crore beneficiariesThe Shiv Sena UBT claimed that the CAG audit found discrepancies in the implementation of the scheme alleging that around 92 lakh beneficiaries were either ineligible or did not meet the required criteriaAccording to the editorial nearly 62 lakh beneficiaries had not completed mandatory eKYC verification while around 29000 men and 8000 government employees were allegedly included in the beneficiary listThe party alleged that these names were later removed after the Assembly electionsParty alleges misuse of public fundsThe editorial alleged that funds amounting to Rs 3541 crore were disbursed through ineligible beneficiaries before the Model Code of Conduct came into force ahead of the Assembly electionsDrawing comparisons with the concept of State Capture the editorial alleged that public resources had been misused for electoral purposesSpending Rs 3541 crore from the public treasury to systematically purchase 30 to 35 lakh votes is not ordinary corruption It is the outright purchasing of a state by manipulating laws tenders and public policies for political survival the editorial statedThe allegations reflect the Shiv Sena UBTs interpretation of the CAG findings The government has not publicly accepted these allegationsCriticism of government over accountabilityThe editorial also criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alleging that the government routinely accused the opposition of defaming Maharashtra whenever allegations of corruption were raisedIt further claimed that while prominent financial offenders had fled the country after defaulting on bank loans ordinary citizens and farmers continued to face stringent action over comparatively smaller financial defaultsThe editorial argued that political accountability should extend to those responsible for approving expenditure under government welfare schemesDemands recovery of funds from officialsThe Shiv Sena UBT demanded that the alleged financial losses be recovered from those responsible for implementing the schemeRecover the stolen funds directly from the personal assets of the thenChief Minister Deputy Chief Ministers the entire cabinet and the senior bureaucrats including the Chief Secretary Finance Secretary and Women amp Child Development Secretary who cleared the illegal payouts Freeze and auction their personal movable and immovable properties to return the plundered money to the taxpayers the editorial saidThe party also called for greater transparency and accountability in the implementation of welfare programmesEditorial raises concerns over states financesThe editorial expressed concern over Maharashtras fiscal position citing rising public debt and borrowing pressures It also referred to reports indicating changes in the states per capita income relative to other statesAccording to the Shiv Sena UBT financial irregularities in welfare schemes could undermine public confidence in future social welfare programmes