Maharashtra removed over 92 lakh Ladki Bahin beneficiaries after statewide verification.
Failure to complete eKYC accounted for nearly 62 lakh deletions.
Ineligible beneficiaries reportedly received around Rs 14,000 crore before payments stopped.
More than 92 lakh women have been removed from Maharashtra's Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana following a statewide verification exercise that identified large-scale ineligibility and non-compliance, according to government records reviewed by The Indian Express. This figure exceeds the nearly 80 lakh deletions publicly acknowledged by the state government.
As a result, the number of beneficiaries has declined sharply from around 2.43 crore to just over 1.5 crore. The verification drive began in September 2025, over a year after the scheme was launched ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections.
eKYC Failure Emerged As Biggest Reason
The primary reason for removal was failure to complete the mandatory electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) process. Nearly 62 lakh women—about two-thirds of those removed—did not complete authentication.
Other reasons included income violations, with 16 lakh beneficiaries found to belong to families earning above the Rs 2.5 lakh annual limit. Around 4.42 lakh women were disqualified due to government employment within their households.
Additionally, about 3.6 lakh beneficiaries were already receiving aid under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana, while nearly 2.5 lakh cases involved multiple beneficiaries from the same household, violating scheme rules. Authorities also identified 1.8 lakh beneficiaries above the age limit of 65 years and rejected around 1.7 lakh applications during district-level scrutiny.
The Indian Express report further revealed that approximately 29,000 men and nearly 8,000 government employees had received benefits despite being ineligible.
Ineligible Beneficiaries Received Around Rs 14,000 Crore
Officials estimate that those later deemed ineligible had collectively received close to Rs 14,000 crore before their payments were stopped. On average, beneficiaries received assistance for about 10 months, though discontinuation timelines varied depending on when discrepancies were detected.
The scheme provides Rs 1,500 per month to women aged 21 to 65 from families earning below Rs 2.5 lakh annually, excluding government employees, income-tax payers, and recipients of certain other welfare schemes.
Minister Explains Delay In Verification
Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said the eKYC process could not begin earlier due to the 2024 Assembly elections and the Model Code of Conduct.
"The scheme was launched in June 2024 and the first two instalments were released together in August 2024. After that there were Assembly elections in November 2024 and the Model Code of Conduct came into force before October, because of which the eKYC exercise could not be started earlier," Tatkare told The Indian Express.
She added that the verification drive began in August 2025, with repeated warnings that payments would stop without eKYC completion. The deadline was extended until December 31, 2025.
"It is not that the government removed them. All those who had registered and were eligible received benefits till the eKYC procedure was completed," she said.
Recovery Limited To Certain Beneficiaries
Tatkare clarified that recovery of funds would be limited to specific categories. "Even CM sir has announced in the Assembly that except for the male beneficiaries and government staffers, money wouldn't be recovered from any other beneficiaries," she told The Indian Express.
Recovery proceedings have been initiated against male beneficiaries, government employees, and other clearly ineligible recipients under the Revenue Recovery Receipt mechanism, with District Collectors tasked with overseeing the process.
CAG Raises Financial Management Concerns
The verification exercise coincides with concerns raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) regarding the scheme's financial management.
According to PTI, the CAG audit for 2024-25 flagged excess expenditure of Rs 3,541.16 crore and weaknesses in budget planning. The Women and Child Development Department spent Rs 33,237.24 crore against an allocation of Rs 29,693.09 crore.
The audit also noted that Rs 15,586 crore withdrawn between January and March 2025 was transferred to Virtual Personal Deposit Accounts, suggesting funds were drawn without immediate need.
"This large-scale withdrawal indicates that the funds were not required for immediate use and were drawn from the treasury without actual expenditure needs," the report said, according to PTI.
The CAG recommended more accurate estimation of beneficiaries and funding requirements to improve financial discipline.
Budget Reduced
The state government has reduced the scheme's allocation from Rs 36,000 crore in 2025-26 to Rs 26,500 crore in 2026-27.
The Mahayuti government's promise to increase monthly assistance from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 remains unfulfilled. Since its launch in 2024, total allocations and supplementary provisions for the scheme have exceeded Rs 60,000 crore.
