Ladki Bahin Yojana Beneficiaries Drop to 1.65 Crore After Verification in Maharashtra

The beneficiary base for the Maharashtra government's flagship welfare initiative, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, has declined sharply from nearly 2.48 crore at its peak to 1,65,66,164 following a statewide verification and e-KYC process.

The findings were revealed through data obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by activist Jeetendra Ghadge of The Young Whistleblowers Foundation. The records indicate that the active count of recipients under the welfare programme decreased by over 82 lakh after the scrutiny drive was conducted across the state.

According to the RTI details, the statewide verification exercise led to the removal of 62 lakh women from the scheme's beneficiary list. Additionally, the audit flagged more than 4.5 lakh government-linked entries among the recipient data.

The large-scale removal of names has brought the flagship scheme under renewed scrutiny. The data has prompted concerns regarding the exclusion of applicants, wrongful payouts distributed prior to the cleanup, and the measures being considered for the recovery of funds disbursed to ineligible individuals across Maharashtra.