Maharashtra: Will New Criteria Reduce Number of Beneficiary Women Under Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana?

There is bad news for the beneficiary women waiting for the 8th installment of the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme, which became a game changer in the Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024. The government has changed its criterion to prevent the misuse of the Ladki Bahin scheme. This scheme has increased the burden on the state's economy, and the government wants to ensure that only the eligible beneficiary gets the benefit of the scheme.

e-KYC mandatory

Now it has been made mandatory for the beneficiary women to get e-KYC done between June 1 and July 1 every year. Besides, the government will also take the help of the Income Tax Department to check the eligibility of the beneficiary women, and has decided to exclude more than 2.5 lakh people. However, some people are calling this plan of the government a conspiracy to reduce the number of beneficiary women.

Number of beneficiary women may be reduced

The Ladki Bahan scheme has seen the eligibility of five lakh women revoked. However, over 2 crore women in the state still continue to benefit from the program. But this number may soon be significantly reduced, as the government is implementing a comprehensive plan to exclude beneficiaries from families with an annual income exceeding Rs 2.5 lakh.

To facilitate this process, the government is collaborating with banks and the Income Tax Department. Additionally, Asha workers and Anganwadi workers have begun assessing the eligibility of women enrolled in the Ladki Bahan scheme.

There are 5 lakh women who are taking advantage of both Namo Shetkari Yojana and Ladki Bahin Yojana. These women will get only Rs 500 under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, while Rs 1000 will be given under the Namo Shetkari Yojana.

Women getting benefits from the Divyang Department will be excluded from the Ladki Bahin Yojana. There are 2.5 lakh women who own vehicles and have been excluded from the scheme. Along with this, there are many women who do not meet the criteria and they have started returning this money.

Prakash Kumar Pandey