A massive statewide protest march took place at Azad Maidan against the halting and irregular release of aid under the Ladki Bahin Yojana
She is a among those who came from districts impacted by the fierce drought in the state for a dharna at Azad Maidan demanding restoration of Rs 1,500 stipend under the state’s flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana on Tuesday. After the rice crop in her village withered away as a result of the drought , she hasn’t been able to find work as a farm-hand for over a month. MUMBAI: Tanuja Barap’s family from Palghar’s Vikramgad is mostly living on rice-and-salt and rotis wrapped around chillies. Like most women there, Barap initially received the stipend but it was stopped within a year after she could not complete its e-KYC verification.
The flagship scheme was launched shortly before the state assembly polls in 2024, and helped power the Mahayuti alliance’s return to govt. However, since then, 92 lakh women have been knocked out of the scheme for not meeting its eligibility criteria. Of these, 62 lakh had failed to properly complete the e-KYC criteria. The e-KYC verication took place over six months from Sep 2025 to April 30, 2026. The govt faces a debt of Rs 11 lakh crore for 2026-27 and has been pruning the beneficiaries. The budgetary allocation for the scheme was Rs 46,000 crore in 2024, which fell to Rs 26,500 crore in 2026. The lack of MNREGA work (now known as VB-GRAM G) has made things more desperate in the drought belt, which spans 85% of the state’s talukas. “We received the Sept stipend on Oct 2.
Because of the scheme, indeed, many women at the rally said they had voted for the Mahayuti government. Speaking at the rally, AIDWA’s Brinda Karat said, “The govt put your vote in their pocket and then introduced the e-KYC. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in Mumbai Stay updated with the latest Mumbai news.
I feel cheated,” she says, angrily. Like many of the Adivasi women at the dharna, she says she was unaware of the e-KYC requirement. The govt has betrayed us,” says Lata Lahu Kedare, a farm labourer from Dindori in Nashik. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Mangal Mali from Nashik’s Chandwad says she and her husband are looking for work in a neighbouring village. Now we might have to look for construction work,” she says. We are never sure it is going to come,” she says. “They are giving concessions to industrialists but grudge women the stipend even though they used it to win the assembly polls,” she said.
“We desperately need money to cope with the drought. The govt used us to win election and then threw us out of the Ladki Bahin scheme. There is rising anger against the govt. “I used the stipend for household expenses, mainly vegetables and oil. But it stopped for me last Dec. “We helped harvest soyabean, plucked out the tomato crop and plant onions. Some like Jyoti Bhagat from Akot taluka in Akola are receiving the stipend, but it comes over a month late. Download the TOI App.
Why didn’t they do the verification when they were enrolling people before the election,” she asked.