PUNE: Amid mounting speculation over the future of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, state government sources told TOI that while the flagship welfare scheme will continue, there are no plans to extend the e-KYC deadline or admit new beneficiaries at this stage.Following a rigorous verification exercise, the number of beneficiaries has seen a sharp decline of 80 lakh. The actual count now stands at 1.66 crore, down from the initial 2.46 crore.The e-KYC drive, designed to verify records and identify ineligible recipients, concluded on April 30. Despite appeals from women who missed the cut-off, officials stated that a further extension is not on the cards. “There is no proposal before the govt to extend the e-KYC timeline. Beneficiaries had sufficient time to complete the process,” a senior official said.“As of now, there is no decision to enrol additional beneficiaries. The database remains unchanged,” an official added.
According to official data, the 80-lakh drop in beneficiaries is the result of a systematic “weeding out” of ineligible applicants. Officials cited several reasons for the removal of names, including incomplete e-KYC or failure to update records by the deadline, inaccurate or incomplete documentation, failure to meet the scheme’s specific eligibility and income criteria and discrepancies in personal information.“The govt had extended the document update deadline multiple times since Nov 2025. April 30 was declared the final date for compliance,” an official said.For many, the removal from the list represents a significant financial blow. Maya Waghmare, a resident of Pune district, shared her frustration: “I submitted my documents and was assured the system would update. Instead, my name was removed. That monthly assistance was vital for my household expenses.”An Anganwadi worker echoed this sentiment, noting that many expected the govt to keep extending the window. “Because the deadline had been moved before, many thought they had more time. Now, their payments have stopped abruptly,” she said.The clarification follows recent reassurances from deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam, who dismissed allegations from the opposition that the scheme would be scrapped. Shinde recently asserted that the govt remains committed to supporting women and farmers and that financial assistance under the initiative would not be neglected.Launched ahead of the 2024 assembly elections, the Ladki Bahin Yojana provides eligible women with Rs1,500 per month. As one of the Mahayuti govt’s primary welfare pillars, the scheme is estimated to cost the state exchequer over Rs40,000 crore annually.
