Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured that the state government will continue its flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. On Tuesday, June 2, he stated that 1.70 crore eligible women will continue to receive benefits despite the removal of lakhs of beneficiaries following a verification drive.
The decision came after the April 30 deadline for mandatory e-KYC (Know Your Customer) verification and an extensive verification exercise carried out by the Women and Child Development Department, which led to a sharp fall in the number of beneficiaries from 2.4 crore to around 1.7 crore. The move drew criticism from the opposition, which accused the government of betraying women beneficiaries.
Speaking to reporters before the weekly cabinet meeting, Fadnavis said the government carried out a detailed verification exercise after the scheme was launched and found several irregularities.
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"When the scheme was introduced, women were allowed to self-certify their eligibility, as many did not have sufficient time to submit documents. Subsequently, verification was carried out as the government expenditure is subject to audit," he said.
According to Fadnavis, the verification exercise, in which beneficiary records were cross-checked against multiple government databases, found that some women from families of government employees had received benefits, while nearly 14,000 men had also applied under the scheme. Around 10 lakh beneficiaries were found to have discrepancies in their applications.
Fadnavis said the government used income tax, transport and ration card databases to verify eligibility. Payments have been stopped for ineligible beneficiaries and those who failed to complete the mandatory e-KYC process.
The amount already paid to the now-ineligible beneficiaries is estimated to be around ₹5,000 crore. However, Fadnavis clarified that women found ineligible during the verification exercise would not be asked to return the money they had already received, but men who had fraudulently availed benefits under the scheme will have to repay the amount.
Fadnavis also mentioned that the scheme won't be shutting down, saying, “The scheme will never be shut down. Even today, it is the largest welfare scheme of its kind among states in the country, and it will continue.”
After the verification drive, around 1.7 crore women in Maharashtra will continue to receive a monthly Rs 1,500 assistance under the scheme.
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