'1.6 lakh women, whose families own four-wheelers, excluded from Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bhain Scheme'

According to Maharashtra Minister for Women and Child Development Aditi Tatkare, 2.3 lakh women were the beneficiaries of both the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana as well as the Ladki Bahin Yojana. Pic/X

Over 1.60 lakh women, whose families own four-wheelers, have been excluded from the benefits of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme, Maharashtra's Minister for Women and Child Development Aditi Tatkare stated in a tweet.

The scheme was announced before the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections to provide women from economically weaker sections a monthly allowance. Accordingly, 2.4 crore women voters benefitted from the state's financial aid and welfare initiatives.

However, following a scrutiny of the beneficiaries by the government, the numbers have seen changes. As a result, the total number of beneficiaries has dropped to 2.41 crore, marking a reduction of around 5 lakh women who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme, Tatkare further stated in her tweet.

According to Tatkare, 2.30 lakh women were the beneficiaries of both the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana as well as the Ladki Bahin Yojana while 1.10 are above the age of 65 and thereby become ineligible for it.

Apart from these two categories, the government has also identified 1.60 lakh women whose families own four-wheelers. They have also been excluded from the scheme.

Reacting on the development, Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut alleged that the scheme was politically motivated. "Now that the elections are over, the government wants to reduce the number of beneficiaries as much as possible," Raut said in his interaction with the television reporters.

The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme has added financial burden amounting to Rs 46,000 crore on the state government, as the beneficiaries are given a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500.

During the election campaign, the Mahayuti government promised to increase the allowance to Rs 2,100 per month, further fuelling debates on the scheme's true purpose.