Mumbai: A day after TOI reported 5 lakh beneficiaries were deleted in one month from the Mahayuti govt’s flagship Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, women and child welfare minister Aditi Tatkare confirmed the deletions had happened.
The deletions are at odds with Tatkare’s claims till now that there would be no large-scale scrutiny of beneficiaries. She also said initially, only those who voluntarily gave up their claim would be trimmed from the beneficiary list.
On Friday, Tatkare said on X, “In keeping with govt resolutions issued on June 28 and July 3, ineligible women have been excluded from the Ladki Bahin scheme. The state govt is duty-bound to provide the benefits of the scheme to eligible women.” She confirmed that 5 lakh beneficiaries were declared ineligible and removed from the scheme. This includes 1.1 lakh beneficiaries who crossed the age limit of 65 since the scheme is meant for those in the 18-65 year age-group, Tatkare said. Also, 2.3 lakh beneficiaries who are also availing of a Rs 1,500 stipend under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana, she stated. Beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin Yojana can avail of cash benefits under another govt scheme only if the combined benefit is sealed at Rs 1,500.
She also stated that 1.6 lakh beneficiaries were deleted from among those whose families had a four-wheeler, were availing of the Namo Shetkari Yojana, or those who voluntarily gave up their claim to the scheme.
Tatkare also said the stipend distributed for the Ladki Bahin scheme between July and Dec 2024 will not be taken back, even though 5 lakh beneficiaries were found to be ineligible in Jan. The ineligible beneficiaries have not received the stipend for Jan.
The opposition has criticised the govt, saying it used women voters and was discarding them after winning the elections. “More beneficiaries will be deleted. The govt does not have enough money in the treasury. The elections are over and the women have already given the govt their votes,” said Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut.
TOI reported on Friday that 5 lakh beneficiaries were deleted between Dec 2024 and Jan 2025. In Dec 2024, the number of beneficiaries was 2.46 crore, while in Jan it fell to 2.41 crore. Meanwhile, officials admitted the deletions also reveal many were allowed to avail of the scheme prior to polls though they may not have been eligible. For instance, it’s now clear a chunk of beneficiaries availed of both the Ladki Bahin scheme and the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana for months, which is not allowed. Meanwhile, the Mahayuti govt has cleared a sum of Rs 3 crore for the social and digital media plan of the Yojana.