Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has reportedly removed around 69 lakh women beneficiaries from the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana after a large-scale verification drive across the state. The government has also temporarily halted the next instalment payment under the scheme until the scrutiny process is fully completed.
Officials said only women who meet all eligibility conditions will continue receiving financial assistance under the Ladki Bahin scheme.
Why Were 69 Lakh Beneficiaries Removed?
According to government sources, many beneficiaries failed to complete mandatory e-KYC verification or did not meet other eligibility conditions set by the Maharashtra government. Several applications reportedly had incomplete documents, incorrect information, or income-related discrepancies.
The state government had extended the deadline for document updates multiple times since November 2025. However, April 30 was declared the final deadline for compliance.
After the final verification process, around 69 lakh women were found ineligible and removed from the scheme.
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Beneficiary Count Drops Significantly
The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana was launched by then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. At the time, nearly 2.46 crore women had registered under the scheme.
However, after the latest verification drive, the number of eligible beneficiaries has reportedly reduced to around 1.77 crore.
What Is the Ladki Bahin Scheme?
Under the scheme, eligible poor and needy women in Maharashtra receive financial assistance of Rs 1,500 every month directly in their bank accounts.
The annual expenditure for the welfare scheme was initially estimated at around Rs 45,000 crore. Later, it was reduced to Rs 36,000 crore and has now reportedly come down to nearly Rs 26,000 crore after the beneficiary reduction.
March-April Instalments Put on Hold
Officials said the Maharashtra government has temporarily stopped the March and April instalments for this year due to the ongoing verification process.
Once the scrutiny process is completed, the pending amount will be transferred to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries.
Government May Start Recovery Process
A senior government official also indicated that the administration may begin recovery proceedings against beneficiaries who allegedly received money despite not meeting the scheme’s eligibility criteria.
However, the official also admitted that the government and administration shared responsibility for releasing payments without complete verification during the initial rollout of the scheme.
Complaints Triggered Verification Drive
The verification exercise was launched after the state government reportedly received multiple complaints claiming that ineligible individuals were also receiving benefits under the Ladki Bahin scheme.
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Officials said the move was necessary to reduce financial burden on the state and ensure benefits reach only deserving women beneficiaries.
