Mumbai, May 4 (PTI) The Maharashtra government is yet to release the March and April instalments to women beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin scheme, even as the deadline for the mandatory e-KYC process expired on April 30, with verification of some cases post wrong classification still underway.
Following the completion of the e-KYC exercise, the final number of beneficiary accounts is likely to be settled at around 1.80 crore, officials said on Sunday.
The verification drive was undertaken following complaints regarding male members and some government employees availing benefits under the scheme.
The process saw multiple extensions, ranging from November 2025 to March 2026, before the final deadline was set to April 30.
During the exercise, a misinterpretation of a Marathi question led to over 24 lakh beneficiaries being wrongly classified as state government employees, resulting in a halt in their monthly assistance of Rs 1,500.
After scrutiny, around 20 lakh of these accounts have been found to be genuine, while verification of the remaining cases is still underway, officials said.
The deadline was extended till April 30 to allow about 4 lakh affected beneficiaries another opportunity to complete the process.
“We are yet to release the instalments for the months of March and April. The exact number of eligible beneficiaries will be known once we release the instalments in the coming few days,” a senior official from the Women and Child Welfare department said.
Launched ahead of the 2024 assembly elections, the Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme provides monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to eligible women and is considered a key factor behind the Mahayuti government’s electoral victory, though it has also added to the state’s financial burden. PTI ND NSK
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