Won't scrap Ladki Bahin scheme; benefits to continue for 1.7 crore eligible women, men applicants to return money: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday made it clear that the government will not abandon its flagship "Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin" welfare scheme. He assured that 1.70 crore women beneficiaries will continue to receive the monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 under the scheme despite the recent removal of lakhs of beneficiaries.

Addressing reporters ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Fadnavis responded to Opposition parties' sharp criticism over the drop in the beneficiary count from 2.4 crore to nearly 1.7 crore following the April 13 deadline e-KYC (Know Your Customer) verification process.

"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 government expenditure is subject to audit," he said.

During the press briefing, the chief minister listed irregularities uncovered during the verification exercise.

Key findings of the exercise

• Women from families of government employees availed benefits.

• Among the 10 lakh beneficiary accounts that failed to complete the mandatory e-KYC process or were found to have irregularities, 14,000 belonged to male applicants.

What next?

Fadnavis said payments have been discontinued for ineligible women and clarified that the government will not recover money already paid to them. However, in the case of men, he said they would be required to return money received through fraudulent means.

Referring to the flagship scheme aimed at economically weaker women, Fadnavis said: "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 Opposition parties, however, alleged that the government had "betrayed" women and was removing beneficiaries due to a "severe financial crisis."