The Maharashtra government has moved to tighten beneficiary verification under its flagship welfare programme, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. According to a government resolution (GR) issued by the Women and Child Development Department on Thursday, Aadhaar authentication of all recipients will now be mandatory through e-KYC. The scheme, which provides a direct cash transfer of ₹1,500 every month to economically weaker women, had faced criticism for including ineligible beneficiaries. When it was launched ahead of last year’s assembly elections, applicants were accepted through self-declarations rather than verification. Officials said the new step will help filter out undeserving claimants.
In August, the state’s Information Technology Department identified nearly 2.6 million potentially ineligible beneficiaries, prompting a detailed verification process. Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare confirmed that anganwadi workers are conducting ground-level surveys to validate applications. She clarified that not all individuals flagged in the initial report would automatically be disqualified. “We expect the scrutiny reports from districts within two weeks. Women who are found eligible will continue receiving the benefits, while those who fail the checks will no longer get assistance,” she told reporters.
The scheme, launched in July last year, is targeted at women aged 21 to 65 years with an annual family income of less than ₹2.5 lakh, provided they are not beneficiaries of any other government welfare scheme. Currently, around 22.5 million women are registered under the programme, costing the state exchequer nearly ₹3,800 crore each month. This marks the first instance of a large-scale Aadhaar e-KYC verification for the initiative. Beneficiaries can access authentication details and updates on the official portal: https://ladakibahin.maharashtra.gov.in/.