Fadnavis Reiterates Commitment To Women Welfare Programme
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has made it clear that the state’s flagship Ladki Bahin Scheme will remain operational for all eligible beneficiaries, dismissing speculation about its possible closure following a large-scale verification exercise.
Fadnavis said the scheme continues to be one of the biggest welfare initiatives for women in the country and remains a priority for the state government.
“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,” the Chief Minister said.
Verification Drive Uncovers Irregularities
The government’s scrutiny of beneficiary records reportedly uncovered multiple discrepancies. According to officials, thousands of applications were found to be in violation of eligibility norms laid down under the scheme.
Among the most striking findings was the identification of nearly 14,000 men who allegedly received financial assistance by registering themselves as women beneficiaries.
The Chief Minister said the government intends to recover funds from those individuals who fraudulently availed benefits.
Apart from this, the verification process also revealed that around 10 lakh beneficiaries had income levels exceeding the scheme’s prescribed ceiling, while nearly five lakh beneficiaries belonged to families with government employees, making them ineligible under existing guidelines.
Beneficiary Numbers Witness Sharp Decline
The total number of beneficiaries has significantly reduced following the completion of the e-KYC verification process and scrutiny of eligibility criteria.
Government data indicates that the beneficiary base has dropped from approximately 2.4 crore applicants to around 1.7 crore eligible recipients after verification.
Officials maintained that the reduction was not solely linked to e-KYC compliance but also resulted from the removal of applicants who did not meet the scheme’s conditions.
Opposition Questions Beneficiary Reduction
The opposition has sharply criticised the verification exercise, accusing the government of excluding a large number of women from the programme.
AIMIM leader Waris Pathan questioned how millions of women who had earlier qualified for assistance were subsequently declared ineligible, alleging that the government was attempting to reduce expenditure under financial pressure.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule also sought clarity on the significant decline in beneficiary numbers. She noted that a much larger number of women had previously been receiving payments under the scheme and called on the government to explain the basis for the exclusions.
Government Defends Verification Process
State officials have defended the exercise, arguing that verification was necessary to ensure public funds reach only genuine beneficiaries.
The government maintains that while ineligible applicants have been removed from the database, eligible women will continue receiving benefits without interruption, reinforcing its commitment to the welfare programme despite the ongoing political controversy surrounding the verification drive.
