Ladki Bahin Yojana: Maharashtra CM Fadnavis says 1.70 crore women will continue to benefit

“If a woman could issue self-certification, she should also carry out KYC. The state government is nowhere downsizing the beneficiaries. From the beginning, the specific parameters to qualify for the scheme were announced,” the CM said, adding that as many as 14,000 men, who misused the scheme to receive funds, have been disqualified.

“Women who did not qualify have been removed… During scrutiny, it was found that five lakh women who took benefit of the scheme were government employees. Some of the women had vehicles in their name,” Fadnavis said.

“The KYC process is completed. But if any individual still feels she can provide supporting documents, we will allow

” That in the coming days,” he noted.

The Ladki Bahin scheme was announced by the Mahayuti government led by then chief minister Eknath Shinde ahead of the 2024 Assembly polls. The government had promised Rs 1,500 to eligible women in the age bracket of 18 to 65 years. However, the government had not then insisted on any documents. Broadly, it was mentioned that beneficiaries should meet the requirements specified under the scheme.

When the scheme was launched, 2.5 crore women enrolled and availed the monthly allowance of Rs 1500. However, the new government under Devendra Fadnavis initiated the review process to verify the eligibility criteria of women taking benefit under LBY. So far, more than 80 lakh women have been dropped from the scheme.

The disqualification process invited sharp criticism from Opposition leaders, who termed it as a poll gimmick. Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said, “Ladki Bahin Yojana was a ploy to get women voters. Once their stated objective was achieved, the government has started the disqualification process, denying women their financial assistance. The BJP is known to making promises and not keeping it.”