- Maharashtra CM Fadnavis assured Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme will continue
- Verification removed nearly 80 lakh ineligible beneficiaries after e-KYC deadline
- About 1.70 crore eligible women will keep receiving benefits under the scheme
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday assured that the government will not discontinue its flagship 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' welfare scheme, clarifying that 1.70 crore eligible women will keep receiving benefits despite the recent removal of lakhs of beneficiaries.
The chief minister's remarks have come after the April 30 deadline for e-KYC (Know Your Customer) verification, and a verification saw nearly 80 lakh beneficiaries being weeded out of the scheme, drawing sharp criticism from the Opposition parties.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Fadnavis said the state government had undertaken a verification exercise of beneficiaries after the scheme was launched and several irregularities came to light.
"When the scheme was introduced, women were allowed to self-certify their eligibility, as many did not have sufficient time to submit documents. Subsequently, verification was carried out as the government expenditure is subject to audit," he explained.
He noted that the scrutiny revealed anomalies, such as women from families of government employees availing benefits and, in some instances, men filing applications.
Fadnavis stated that around 10 lakh beneficiaries were found to have discrepancies, while nearly 14,000 men had applied under the scheme.
The government cross-checked beneficiary records with the help of income tax, transport and ration card databases to verify eligibility, he said, adding that payments have been halted to ineligible women and those who failed to complete the mandatory e-KYC process.
The chief minister further clarified that the government would not recover money already paid to beneficiaries who were later found ineligible, and only men who fraudulently availed benefits will have to return the money.
Around 1.70 crore women have met all eligibility criteria and will continue to receive assistance under the scheme, he assured.
"The scheme will never be shut down. Even today, it is the largest welfare scheme of its kind among states in the country, and it will continue," he said.
A senior official on Monday informed that the beneficiary count has dropped from 2.4 crore to nearly 1.7 crore after the e-KYC (Know Your Customer) deadline of April 30, but the disqualifications were also linked to non-compliance with eligibility criteria of the scheme launched two years ago.
The government had provided an eight-month window for beneficiaries to complete their e-KYC to continue getting the monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 under the scheme targeted at poorer women.
The opposition parties, however, alleged that the government had "betrayed" women and was weeding out beneficiaries due to a "severe financial crisis".
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
