Maharashtra’s flagship welfare initiative, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, has landed in controversy after a technical and linguistic error during the e-KYC process disrupted payments for lakhs of beneficiaries. Around 24 lakh women have seen their ₹1,500 monthly installment temporarily stopped due to a wrongly interpreted response in the verification form.

Confusing Question Triggers Mass Disqualification

According to officials from the Women and Child Development Department, the issue arose from a negatively framed Marathi question in the e-KYC form: “Isn’t anyone in your household employed in a government job?” Due to confusion, many women selected “Yes” instead of “No.” The system interpreted this as confirmation that a family member was a government employee, making them ineligible under the scheme’s rules.

Data Review Raises Red Flags

Authorities grew suspicious when records showed nearly 24 lakh beneficiaries claiming to have government employees in their families, while Maharashtra has only about 8–9 lakh government and semi-government employees in total. This mismatch led officials to identify the problem as a mass reporting error rather than deliberate misrepresentation.

Anganwadi Workers Assigned Physical Verification

With complaints pouring in over missed payments, the state government has ordered physical verification of affected beneficiaries. Anganwadi workers will now visit homes to verify documents and confirm eligibility. Installments will resume once verification is completed and errors are corrected.

Minister Aditi Tatkare Issues Clarification

Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare assured beneficiaries that no eligible woman would be denied benefits. She stated that district collectors have been instructed to conduct field-level verification wherever incorrect options were selected during e-KYC.

Why e-KYC Was Made Mandatory

Over 2.30 crore women are registered under the scheme. The government introduced mandatory e-KYC to prevent misuse, following complaints of ineligible beneficiaries receiving funds. However, the same process has now delayed payments for genuine recipients due to a language-related oversight.

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