Ladki Bahin scrutiny on at ‘snail’s pace’ fearing backlash in local body polls

Mumbai: The state government is going slow on scrutinising beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana as it fears the exercise could hamper the ruling Mahayuti coalition’s prospects in the upcoming local body polls, officials from the state’s women and child development department, which anchors the scheme, told Hindustan Times on Saturday.

The scheme, which entitles women whose annual family income is below ₹2.5 lakh to a monthly dole of ₹1,500, was launched after the Mahayuti alliance fared poorly in the Lok Sabha polls held in June 2024. Between July and November 2024, around 2.34 crore women enrolled under the scheme received ₹7,500 each towards five instalments of the scheme, according to data with the women and child development department. At present, the state pays ₹3,700 crore per month to 2.46 crore women enrolled under the Ladki Bahin scheme, the data showed.

The cash handout was said to be one of the main factors that led to the massive victory of the Mahayuti alliance in the assembly poll held in November 2020. The new government paid another instalment in December 2024 but chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and later women and child development minister Aditi Tatkare announced that beneficiaries would be scrutinised to weed out ineligible candidates and reduce expenses on account of the scheme.

Ladki Bahin beneficiaries were not allowed to be enrolled under any other government scheme and those who were enrolled in multiple schemes would be dropped from the Ladki Bahin list, the government clarified subsequently. It also urged ineligible women to come forward and return the money they had received under the scheme.

“So far, around 4,000 ineligible women have come forward to return the money. But the process of identifying ineligible candidates from high income families or those enrolled in other schemes is proceeding at a snail’s pace. No one is in a hurry,” said an official from the women and child development department, on condition of anonymity.

The scenario is very different from when the scheme was launched and payments had to be made ahead of the assembly elections.

“Then, the political leadership ensured that the government machinery worked in a speedy manner to enrol the maximum number of women, so that payouts could begin on August 15, barely one-and-a-half months after the scheme was announced. Now, no one is bothered to find out ineligible women.” said the official.

The women and child development department has begun co-ordinating with other departments to identify ineligible candidates and it has received the list of women beneficiaries under the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana, who may be dropped from the Ladki Bahin list.

“But co-ordination with income tax department to ascertain the family income of beneficiaries is yet to start. The slow pace of scrutiny is likely to continue till local body elections are over to avoid any backlash,” the official quoted earlier said.