80 lakh women removed from Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin scheme

The Mukhyamantri Majhi  scheme in Maharashtra faces scrutiny as 80 lakh women were disqualified after an e-KYC deadline, sparking allegations of financial mismanagement and political motives.

Around 80 lakh women have become ineligible for the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme following an e-KYC deadline, sparking sharp allegations from the Opposition parties that the Maharashtra government was weeding out beneficiaries due to a "severe financial crisis".

A senior official on Monday, however, said that the beneficiary count has dropped from 2.4 crore to nearly 1.7 crore after the April 30 e-KYC deadline, but the disqualifications were also linked to non-compliance with eligibility criteria. 

The government had provided an eight-month window for beneficiaries to complete their e-KYC, he said.

Reasons for Disqualification From Maharashtra Scheme

"Around 50 to 55 lakh women failed to complete the process entirely, while two to three lakh rectified errors during this period. Additionally, nearly 12 lakh women were found to be income-tax payers exceeding the annual income cap of Rs 2.5 lakh, and over 4.5 lakh had crossed the upper age limit of 65 years," the official said.

Around five lakh women were already receiving benefits under the Namo Shetkari scheme, he added.

Addressing complaints that women who completed e-KYC missed monthly instalments, the official noted, "The final figure of actual beneficiaries will be clear in a week, and the complaints are being cross-verified."

He further denied that 80 lakh women were dropped from the scheme solely on the grounds of non-completion of e-KYC.

Opposition Alleges Financial Crisis

Opposition NCP-SP leader Jayant Patil, meanwhile, claimed that the dropping of beneficiaries from the scheme reflects a "severe financial crisis" faced by the state.

Patil alleged that the scheme, which provides monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to eligible women, was rolled out ahead of the 2024 state assembly elections following the ruling Mahayuti alliance's poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls.

"Now, as many as 80 lakh women beneficiaries have been declared ineligible. This amounts to abandoning the very people who were promised assistance," he said.

Concerns Over Scheme's Future

The former minister claimed that the move was indicative of the growing financial strain on the state government.

"After the Centre, the state too is facing a major financial crisis. The first blow has fallen on our 'ladki bahins'. The state's fiscal deficit is substantial, and the global economic slowdown has further aggravated the situation," Patil said, adding that the move could have been avoided with better planning and careful implementation.

Echoing similar sentiments, NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar alleged that the state government was gradually removing beneficiaries from the Ladki Bahin scheme with the ultimate aim of discontinuing it.

Pawar, in a statement, claimed that while the scheme had 2.47 crore beneficiaries before the state assembly elections, the names of around 81 lakh women had now been removed from the beneficiary list.

"KYC is merely an excuse. The real intention is to remove beneficiaries in phases and eventually shut down the scheme," he alleged, questioning the government's implementation of the scheme ahead of the elections.

"If the government is now calling these women bogus beneficiaries, was it not the government's own failure to implement the scheme without proper KYC verification before the elections?" he asked.

He also warned the government against taking any action to recover money from women beneficiaries or causing them inconvenience, and said the move would invite strong opposition.