Opposition alleges forged documents used to list Maharashtra CM, deputy CM as housing scheme beneficiaries

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered a closer examination of alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Ramai Awas Yojana in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after opposition legislators claimed forged identity documents had been used to create bogus beneficiaries, including profiles in the names of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.Raising the issue in the legislative council, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve alleged that fabricated caste certificates, ration cards and municipal tax records had been prepared to enrol ineligible applicants under the housing scheme, which is intended to provide financial assistance for permanent homes to Scheduled Caste and Neo-Buddhist families.Danve claimed that forged records were created in the name of “Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis”, showing him as a resident of Rahul Nagar in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.According to the allegation, fake ration cards, caste certificates and property tax records were generated, with one record even showing municipal tax dues of Rs 185.He also alleged that fabricated documents had been prepared in the name of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The purported ration card, Danve said, included the names of Shinde’s wife, son and MP Shrikant Shinde, daughter-in-law and grandson. He further claimed that a forged caste certificate had also been created in Shinde’s name.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader alleged that the irregularities extended beyond forged documents, claiming that the son of a BJP corporator figured among the beneficiaries despite allegedly operating 33 bank accounts.He also accused officials of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation and the project management consultant associated with the scheme of being involved in the alleged fraud.Responding in the House, social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat described the allegations as serious and said no money had been disbursed under the disputed applications.Shirsat said the Ramai Awas Yojana is funded by the social justice department to support the construction of permanent houses for eligible Scheduled Caste and Neo-Buddhist families in municipal corporation and zilla parishad areas.He told the council that applications received by the then Aurangabad Municipal Corporation between 2010-11 and 2022-23 had ultimately been rejected because no houses were constructed under those proposals.Fresh applications were invited in May this year, drawing 8,442 submissions.During physical verification, however, only 2,913 applicants appeared before officials. Subsequent scrutiny found that several applications had been filed using documents linked to people from other states, Shirsat said.After verification, only 221 applicants out of a final pool of 330 were found eligible for assistance under the scheme, he added.