In a massive 'digital purge,' the Maharashtra government has removed 90 lakh women from the beneficiary list of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, hitting a major administrative roadblock.
According to NDTV, the latest move by the state government has brought down the reach of the most ambitious social safety net from more than 2.6 crore applicants to 1.53 crore. Due to this, a large number of families are left wondering why their monthly financial lifeline has vanished.
Most of these names have been struck off from Maharashtra's Beed district. The report highlights that as many as 2.83 lakh women were dropped from the list of beneficiaries and declared ineligible. The decision is said to have been taken following an audit. It was driven by a digital system ‘digital dragnet,' which compared the applicant's details with tax and vehicle registration records.
The government has removed those exceeding the Rs 2.5 lakh annual income limit or having a four-wheeler. It said that it has 'right-sized' its budget by cutting over Rs 17,000 crore in spending. Apart from removing ghost beneficiaries, the audit also excluded more than 12,000 men who had illegally registered themselves.
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What Happens Next?
In order to regain eligibility, the disqualified individuals are required to take action before Mar. 31. However, the path to reinstatement is difficult, since the state government has mandated a digital-first verification protocol. This required all the beneficiaries of the flagship scheme to complete an e-KYC via the Nari Shakti Doot mobile app or at local service centres.
The status on the portal for many women beneficiaries will now show as 'ineligible' and not 'approved'.
After this, the local ward offices and Gram Panchayats have been flooded with grievances.
Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana: e-KYC Process
The eligible beneficiaries will first have to log in at ladakibahin.maharashtra.gov.in. On the official website, they will have to check the 'remarks' column to identify the specific reason for rejection - it could be due to document mismatch, income discrepancy, or incomplete e-KYC.
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If this has happened due to a technical error, then they can 'edit' the submitted data. Under this, they need to re-upload their Aadhaar Card or Ration cards as well as bank passbook.
When facing 'unexpected errors,' they are required to submit a physical appeal at the nearest Setu Suvidha Kendra or to the local Anganwadi Sevika.
Notably, the eligible beneficiaries must note that their bank accounts are Aadhaar-seeded (NPCI mapped).
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