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Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has removed around 81 lakh beneficiaries from the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana following a statewide e-KYC verification drive aimed at identifying ineligible recipients.

The decision has triggered sharp criticism from Opposition parties, who have accused the government of misusing the welfare scheme for political gains.

Verification Drive Filters Out Ineligible Beneficiaries

Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said the verification exercise was introduced to ensure that financial assistance reaches only eligible women. According to the government, over 2.47 crore women had initially received benefits under the scheme after 2.63 crore registrations.

Following the e-KYC process, the number of beneficiaries has come down to around 1.67–1.70 crore.

Why Were 81 Lakh Beneficiaries Removed?

The government cited several reasons for removing beneficiaries:

• Around 62 lakh women failed to complete mandatory e-KYC despite repeated extensions.
• Nearly 16 lakh beneficiaries had an annual family income exceeding Rs 2.5 lakh.
• About 4.42 lakh women were found to have family members employed in government service.
• The verification also identified men and government employees who had wrongly received benefits.

The state has also begun recovering funds from ineligible government employees who received payments.

Opposition Alleges Electoral Misuse

Opposition leaders questioned why beneficiaries received financial assistance before being declared ineligible.

Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP (SP) and MNS leaders alleged that the scheme was used to influence voters ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. They also raised concerns over reported excess expenditure and demanded greater transparency in the implementation of the programme.

Ladki Bahin Scheme

Launched in June 2024, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana provides Rs 1,500 per month through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to eligible women aged 21 to 65 years, with the aim of strengthening their financial independence.