Ladki Bahin Yojana: Major action taken regarding Maharashtra's 'Ladki Bahin Yojana'! 38% of beneficiaries removed from the scheme..

Maharashtra Ladki Bahin Yojana: Following an extensive verification process, the names of approximately 92 lakh women have been removed from the beneficiary list of the Maharashtra government's ambitious 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana'. This means that nearly 38 percent of the scheme's beneficiaries have been excluded. According to government records, the number of beneficiaries had reached approximately 2.43 crore after the scheme's launch, but this figure dropped to around 1.5 crore following verification. This information was revealed in a report by *The Indian Express*.

**Most exclusions due to failure to complete eKYC**

The government launched a state-wide beneficiary verification drive in September 2025. The investigation revealed that the primary reason for exclusion was the failure to complete the mandatory eKYC process.

According to the report:

*   The names of approximately 62 lakh women were removed solely because they did not complete the eKYC process.
*   This accounts for nearly 67 percent of the total excluded beneficiaries; they failed to complete the mandatory electronic 'Know Your Customer' (eKYC) authentication procedure.

**Lakhs of names removed for other reasons as well**

The verification process uncovered several other grounds on which beneficiaries were declared ineligible:

*   The annual income of 16 lakh families was found to exceed the prescribed limit of ₹2.5 lakh.
*   4.42 lakh women reported that either they or a family member were government employees.
*   Approximately 3.6 lakh individuals were already availing benefits under the 'Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana'.
*   In 2.5 lakh cases, more than two members of the same family were availing benefits under the scheme.
*   1.8 lakh women were found to be over the age of 65.
*   Irregularities were detected during district-level scrutiny in 1.7 lakh cases.
*   Additionally, around 29,000 men and 8,000 government employees were found to be availing benefits despite being ineligible.

**What is the Ladki Bahin Yojana?**

The Maharashtra government launched the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections. Under this scheme—

Eligible women aged 21 to 65, whose family's annual income is less than ₹2.5 lakh, receive ₹1,500 directly into their bank accounts every month.
However, government employees, income taxpayers, and beneficiaries of certain other government schemes are not eligible for this scheme.
Removed beneficiaries had already received ₹14,000 crore

According to reports, the beneficiaries whose names were subsequently removed had already received financial assistance totaling approximately ₹14,000 crore. Officials stated that these beneficiaries received the scheme's benefits for an average of about 10 months. Payments were not stopped simultaneously for everyone because verifications took place at different times.

Why did the government delay the start of eKYC?

Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare stated that the scheme was launched in June 2024, and the initial two installments were released in August 2024.
Subsequently, the eKYC campaign could not be launched on time due to the Assembly elections and the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct. The government initiated the eKYC process later, and beneficiaries were repeatedly warned that payments would be halted if the process was not completed.
The government had extended the deadline for eKYC to December 31, 2025.

Will the money be recovered?

Regarding this, an official stated that the government would not recover money from the majority of beneficiaries.
They clarified that the amount would be recovered only from male beneficiaries and government employees; no recovery would be made from other women.
Recovery only from select individuals: According to Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, the Chief Minister announced in the Assembly that funds would be recovered (under the Revenue Recovery Mechanism) only from ineligible men and government employees. There will be no recovery from other ordinary women.
However, in an earlier response given in the Assembly, the government had also mentioned initiating the recovery process from ineligible beneficiaries. Questions Raised in CAG Report

Meanwhile, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has also raised questions regarding the financial management of the scheme.

According to the report:

₹33,237.24 crore was spent on the scheme.
The approved budget was ₹29,693.09 crore.
This resulted in an excess expenditure of ₹3,541.16 crore.
The CAG also noted that large sums were withdrawn but kept in deposit accounts instead of being spent immediately, which violates financial discipline.

Scheme Budget Also Reduced

The Maharashtra government has reduced the budget for the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme from ₹36,000 crore to ₹26,500 crore for the 2026-27 financial year. This represents a cut of ₹9,500 crore (approximately 26%) in the scheme's budget.

Notably, during the elections, the 'Mahayuti' alliance had promised to increase the monthly payment to women from ₹1,500 to ₹2,100; however, this has not yet been implemented.

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