Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced plans to review the issuance of arms licences in Pune district, following reports that 659 licences were granted between 2021 and 2023. He stated that he would seek detailed information from the Pune police regarding the matter and assess whether the licence holders genuinely required them.
“The police have the authority to grant and revoke arms licences. We will examine if the recipients truly needed them,” Pawar told reporters.
He also addressed concerns surrounding the state’s welfare initiative, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which offers ₹1,500 in monthly assistance to eligible women aged 21 to 65. Pawar admitted that due to the impending elections at the time of its launch, there wasn’t enough time to thoroughly vet applicants.
“When the scheme was rolled out, elections were just around the corner, leaving little time for comprehensive verification. We had urged that only genuinely eligible women should apply,” he explained.
Pawar acknowledged that errors had occurred during the enrollment process but clarified that funds already disbursed would not be reclaimed from recipients.
However, the government, led by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, is preparing to recover ₹3.58 crore from 2,652 women government employees who wrongly availed of the scheme’s benefits, despite being ineligible due to their employment status. The scheme, introduced in August 2023 ahead of the November 2024 Assembly elections, explicitly excludes government employees from its list of beneficiaries.
