Maharashtra removes over 92 lakh women from welfare scheme
What's the story
The Maharashtra government has removed over 92 lakh beneficiaries from its flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana (MMLBY) after a state-wide verification exercise, The Indian Express reported. The number is significantly higher than the approximately 80 lakh deletions earlier reported by the state. Most of those removed, around 62 lakh, failed to complete mandatory electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) authentication, while others were found ineligible for various reasons, including exceeding income limits or being government employees.
Financial implications
Beneficiaries received ₹14,000cr in assistance before being removed
The beneficiaries who were removed had received around ₹14,000 crore in assistance before their payments were halted. On average, these beneficiaries had availed benefits for nearly 10 months. The scheme was launched ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections, and budget allocations and supplementary provisions for the scheme have crossed ₹60,000 crore since its launch. It provides monthly assistance of ₹1,500 to women aged between 21 and 65 years from families with an annual income below ₹2.5 lakh.
Coverage reduction
Scheme now covers over 1.5 crore women
The scheme now covers over 1.5 crore women, a drop from its peak of around 2.43 crore beneficiaries before the verification exercise started in September 2025. The removal of these beneficiaries comes amid concerns raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) about financial management under the scheme. In its audit of Maharashtra's finances for 2024-25, CAG flagged "significant deficiencies in budget estimation, expenditure control and financial management."
Removal reasons
Responding to findings, Tatkare said this
The reasons for the removal of beneficiaries include failure to complete eKYC, exceeding income limits, being government employees, or already receiving benefits under other welfare schemes. Responding to these findings, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said that mandatory eKYC could not be started immediately after the scheme's launch due to Assembly election schedules and the Model Code of Conduct. She added that beneficiaries were given opportunities till December 31, 2025, to complete eKYC before payments were stopped.
Recovery stance
Scheme's allocation slashed by state government
Tatkare also clarified that, except for male beneficiaries and government staffers, money wouldn't be recovered from other ineligible recipients. The state government has also slashed the scheme's allocation from ₹36,000 crore in 2025-26 to ₹26,500 crore this financial year. Despite promises to increase monthly assistance from ₹1,500 to ₹2,100 by the Mahayuti government as part of their poll promise, these plans have not materialized yet.