Maharashtra's flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana has come under fresh scrutiny after thousands of women reported that their monthly ₹1,500 assistance had stopped, even as a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit flagged financial irregularities, including an excess expenditure of ₹3,541.16 crore in the implementation of the scheme.
Launched in June 2024, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana provides ₹1,500 per month through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to eligible women aged 21 to 65 years, with the stated objective of promoting financial independence. However, the state government has recently initiated a large-scale verification drive, resulting in the removal of lakhs of beneficiaries found to be ineligible.
The verification exercise has triggered uncertainty among beneficiaries, with many claiming that their payments have been suspended despite having similar socio-economic profiles to others who continue to receive the assistance. Officials have attributed the payment delays to the ongoing e-KYC and eligibility verification process, while the Opposition has questioned the timing and transparency of the exercise.
The controversy has deepened following the CAG audit, which found that the government spent ₹3,541.16 crore beyond the sanctioned budget for the scheme. The report also revealed that ₹15,586 crore had been parked in Virtual Personal Deposit (VPD) Accounts without any immediate expenditure requirement, raising concerns over financial management and budgetary discipline.
According to the CAG, the practice was "contrary to the principles of budgetary discipline and financial propriety" and had weakened legislative oversight of public finances. The audit recommended that treasury withdrawals should be linked to actual expenditure requirements rather than transferring funds to deposit accounts without immediate utilisation.
Amid mounting criticism, Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare defended the verification exercise, rejecting allegations that eligible women were being removed arbitrarily from the scheme.
"The ongoing verification drive is aimed at identifying ineligible applicants and ensuring that the benefits reach genuine beneficiaries," Tatkare said.
With Raksha Bandhan approaching, thousands of women are awaiting clarity on when their monthly assistance will resume. While the government maintains that the exercise is necessary to clean up the beneficiary database and prevent misuse, the suspension of payments and the CAG's findings have intensified political scrutiny over one of Maharashtra's flagship welfare schemes.
