A major overhaul of Maharashtra’s flagship welfare initiative, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, has led to the removal of nearly 90 lakh beneficiaries, triggering political reactions and concern among recipients across the state. Officials said the large-scale exclusion followed a verification drive aimed at identifying ineligible applicants and eliminating duplicate or fraudulent entries from the scheme’s database.

The Ladki Bahin scheme was introduced by the Maharashtra government to provide monthly financial assistance to women from economically weaker households. Under the programme, eligible women receive direct cash transfers to support household expenses and improve financial independence. The scheme quickly saw massive enrolment, with millions of women registering shortly after its launch.

State authorities said the verification exercise was carried out after officials detected irregularities in several applications. According to the government, the review found that many beneficiaries either did not meet the eligibility criteria or had submitted incomplete or inaccurate details during registration. As a result, around 90 lakh names were removed from the list in what officials described as a “data purification” process.

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The development has sparked criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, which alleged that genuine beneficiaries may have been unfairly excluded. Opposition leaders have demanded greater transparency in the verification process and called on the government to allow affected women to reapply or appeal their removal from the scheme.

Government representatives, however, defended the move, stating that the objective was to ensure that benefits reach only those who truly qualify under the scheme’s guidelines. Officials said the audit was necessary to prevent misuse of public funds and maintain the integrity of the welfare programme.

The controversy comes at a politically sensitive time in Maharashtra, where welfare schemes targeting women and low-income households have become a key issue in electoral politics. With millions of women affected by the verification drive, the future of the Ladki Bahin scheme—and whether the removed beneficiaries will be reinstated—has now become a subject of intense public and political debate.

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