The Congress party on Tuesday accused the BJP-led Maharashtra government of misleading women through the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, alleging that lakhs of beneficiaries were enrolled before the Assembly elections to secure political gains only to be removed from the scheme later.
The party demanded immediate restoration of benefits to 62 lakh excluded women and called for a comprehensive inquiry into the scheme’s implementation.
Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee headquarters, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil alleged that the welfare scheme was introduced despite serious concerns over the state’s financial capacity and was designed to influence voters ahead of the Assembly elections. “The recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report is only a tip of the iceberg,” Patil said, claiming that the scheme was launched even after the finance department warned that Maharashtra would be unable to sustain its estimated annual financial burden of nearly Rs 44,000 crore.
He further alleged that the Mahayuti government had promised to raise the monthly financial assistance from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 after the elections, but instead removed a large section of beneficiaries from the scheme.
According to Patil, nearly 38 per cent of beneficiaries have already been excluded, while internal department discussions indicated that more than half of the beneficiaries could eventually be removed.
“The government deceived women by enrolling them before the elections and then gradually removing them from the scheme,” he alleged.
Patil said around 62 lakh women were excluded because they had not completed the mandatory electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) process. He argued that many economically weaker women lacked the smartphones, internet access and digital literacy needed to complete the formalities.
“The government must conduct doorstep verification through its machinery and restore benefits to every eligible woman instead of penalising those who are digitally disadvantaged,” he said.
The Congress leader also questioned how ineligible beneficiaries, including men, government employees and recipients of other welfare schemes, were allowed to receive benefits under the programme. “If such ineligible beneficiaries were approved, responsibility must be fixed on those who authorised these applications rather than shifting the blame to lower-level officials,” he said, demanding an independent inquiry into the approval process.
Referring to the CAG report, Patil also alleged financial irregularities in the scheme’s implementation. He claimed that while Rs 29,732 crore had reportedly been sanctioned through Drawing and Disbursing Officers’ virtual personal deposit accounts, expenditure under the scheme stood at Rs 33,237 crore, resulting in an unexplained difference of Rs 3,541 crore.
“The Maharashtra government must explain this discrepancy and clarify how expenditure exceeded the sanctioned amount,” he said.
Patil further alleged that the government had failed to establish an effective grievance redressal mechanism for women whose benefits had been discontinued and accused it of using a welfare programme for electoral advantage before the Assembly elections.
The Congress party demanded that all eligible beneficiaries be reinstated immediately, that e-KYC verification be completed with the assistance of government officials and local administration, and that a comprehensive investigation be conducted to identify those responsible for the alleged irregularities in the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’s implementation.
The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana was launched by the Maharashtra government to provide monthly financial assistance to eligible women from economically weaker sections. The scheme became a key political initiative ahead of the state Assembly elections, but has since attracted scrutiny over beneficiary verification, fund utilisation and implementation procedures.