Mumbai: The Maharashtra government's flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Laadki Bahin Yojana is facing mounting criticism after lakhs of women reported that monthly financial assistance failed to reach their bank accounts for several months.
Following a massive verification drive, the state government has made e-KYC mandatory for beneficiaries and removed a large number of names from the scheme database. Official figures indicate that nearly 70–80 lakh beneficiaries were found ineligible or failed verification requirements, leading to a sharp drop in the number of women receiving benefits.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has defended the move, saying the verification exercise uncovered ineligible beneficiaries, including taxpayers, government employees and even male applicants. The government insists the clean-up is necessary to ensure benefits reach genuinely eligible women.
However, opposition parties have accused the government of betraying women voters, alleging that genuine beneficiaries have been left without support due to technical glitches, verification hurdles and administrative failures. Complaints have poured in from women who claim they completed formalities but still did not receive payments. With fresh e-KYC compliance now being enforced, beneficiaries have been warned that failure to complete verification could result in suspension of future payments.
As frustration grows across Maharashtra, questions are being raised over whether one of the state's most ambitious welfare schemes is turning into a bureaucratic nightmare for the very women it was meant to help.
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