State data policy gets cabinet nod

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday cleared the state data policy, which will help in effective implementation of schemes and projects. The government wants to cross-verify beneficiaries under various welfare schemes to ensure there is no duplication like it has happened with the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, and the data policy will help in these efforts, said officials. A state-level authority under the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) has also been formed to aid the efforts, the officials noted.

The data policy was approved during the state cabinet meeting held on Tuesday.

“With the computerisation across all departments, a large amount of data is being collected. The policy will guide us regarding how the data can be used to its full potential,” said a senior official from the state planning department. The policy will ensure a unified approach on use of information and facilitate efficient and transparent administrative processes, he added.

Under the policy, statistical information from all departments will be collated and workers in rural areas – such as municipal employees and anganwadi workers – will no longer have to collect data, allowing them to focus on their primary tasks. The collated data will be used for direct benefit transfers (DBT) under government programmes, said officials.

The data policy has been approved at a time when the government is weeding out ineligible beneficiaries from the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which entitles women aged 21-65 years from families with annual income below ₹2.5 lakh to direct cash benefit of ₹1,500 per month. The BJP-led Mahayuti government had announced the scheme in June 2024, in the run up to the assembly polls, and though it had several riders, women who signed up had ignored them, resulting in a large number of bogus beneficiaries.

After the scheme burdened the state exchequer and led to fund cuts in key areas, the state government decided to verify the beneficiary list. Till now, around 500,000 ineligible beneficiaries have been dropped from the list; among them, 230,000 women avail benefits under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar (destitute) scheme. The monthly payout for beneficiaries simultaneously enrolled under the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana (NSMNY) has been reduced to ₹500 as they receive ₹1,000 per month.