Pune: Thousands of women beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana who failed to complete their mandatory e-KYC by the March 31 deadline can now do so till April 30, with women and child development minister Aditi Tatkare announcing the extension on social media platform X.Tatkare said the deadline for e-KYC correction has been extended by a month following unseasonal rains and hailstorms across the state and repeated requests from beneficiaries. The decision was taken on the recommendation of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, she stated on social mediaOfficials said the e-KYC deadline had earlier been extended in September and December, but many beneficiaries continued to face technical and documentation issues while updating Aadhaar and bank-linked details. The April 30 deadline has been described as the final opportunity for eligible women to complete corrections and continue receiving benefits. Many beneficiaries told TOI that it was an easy way to reduce the total beneficiaries.“We have tried several times but we are unable to complete the ekyc. We have no one to contact or approach. Why should the government start a scheme and weed out genuine beneficiaries without giving them an easy way to complete it. Why can’t district wise officials be appointed to help out genuine beneficiaries,”she said.The state economic survey mentioned the figures having gone down. The names were reportedly struck off following an audit. The decision was driven by a sophisticated digital system ‘digital dragnet’ that compared the applicant details with tax and vehicle registration records. In addition to removing ghost beneficiaries, the audit also excluded thousands of men. For those who have been removed from the list, they have time until March 31 to prove their eligibility.Launched in July 2024, the scheme provides 1,500 per month to eligible women across Maharashtra, and the Mahayuti government has urged all beneficiaries to complete e-KYC before the new deadline to avoid disruption in payments.
