Maharashtra state government officials have removed up to 92 lakh women from the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana beneficiary list [1].
The mass deletion follows an e-KYC verification drive intended to purge ineligible or fraudulent applicants from the welfare rolls. Because the scheme provides direct financial support, the scale of these removals suggests significant discrepancies in initial enrollment data.
Reports from NDTV and MSN said that 92 lakh women were dropped from the scheme [1], while a report from The Telegraph India cited a lower figure of 80 lakh women [4]. The verification process also identified approximately 14,000 men who had attempted to claim benefits intended for women [1].
According to one report, these removals represent 38% of the total beneficiaries [3]. The highest number of deletions occurred in the Beed district [1].
Government officials said the removals were the result of a verification drive completed in June 2024, with the reports surfacing in July 2024 [1]. The e-KYC process is designed to ensure that only those who meet the specific eligibility criteria receive state funds, a measure intended to prevent the leakage of public resources.
Opposition leaders said these figures are evidence of a financial crisis, though the government maintains the action was a necessary administrative cleanup [4]. The discrepancies between the 80 lakh and 92 lakh figures highlight the complexity of auditing millions of applicants across diverse districts.
“92 lakh women were dropped from the scheme”
The removal of nearly 40% of beneficiaries indicates a systemic failure in the initial application vetting process for the Ladki Bahin Yojana. By utilizing e-KYC to scrub the rolls, Maharashtra is prioritizing fiscal discipline over broad enrollment, which may reduce the program's immediate political popularity but ensures the sustainability of the state's welfare budget.
