Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Jun 1: Around 80 lakh women have been declared ineligible under the Maharashtra government's flagship Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, with officials citing failure to complete e-KYC and non-fulfilment of eligibility criteria as the primary reasons.

According to sources in the Women and Child Development Department, nearly 60 lakh women were removed from the beneficiary list for not completing the mandatory e-KYC process, while another 20 lakh were found ineligible after scrutiny of eligibility conditions.

The scheme, announced by the Mahayuti government ahead of the state Assembly elections, had initially identified around 2.31 crore women as beneficiaries. During verification, authorities found several irregularities, including beneficiaries above the prescribed age limit of 65 years, women from households owning four-wheelers, and beneficiaries already receiving assistance under other government schemes.

To ensure that only eligible women receive benefits, the state government launched a verification drive and made e-KYC mandatory. Following the exercise, the department disqualified beneficiaries who failed to complete the process or did not meet the scheme's criteria.

Officials said many eligible beneficiaries had completed their e-KYC but had still not received instalments under the scheme. Complaints regarding non-payment have been received by the department, and an inquiry is underway to verify such cases.

The department is also investigating reports that several government employees and pensioners had received benefits under the scheme despite being ineligible. A recovery process has been initiated against such beneficiaries, officials said.

Reacting to the development, Supriya Sule criticised the state government, alleging that the scheme was implemented hastily before the elections without proper verification.

“Eighty lakh women have now been declared ineligible under the Ladki Bahin scheme. The government implemented the scheme in a hurry during the election period without proper scrutiny, and after nearly a year and a half, it has suddenly realised that such a large number of beneficiaries were ineligible. This reflects a collective failure in governance, administration and implementation,” she said.

Sule further alleged that the government had betrayed the trust of women who had enrolled under the scheme expecting financial assistance.