Mumbai, June 1 -- The number of beneficiaries under the Mahayuti government's much-hyped Ladki Bahin Yojana has dropped by nearly 8 million compared to August-September 2024, when the scheme was launched. For the months of March and April, payments under the scheme were made to 16.6 million women, compared to 24.6 million during the launch, officials said. "Only 16.6 million of the beneficiaries enrolled under the scheme completed their e-KYC, even though the deadline was extended by 4-5 months," an official explained. The number of beneficiaries was not expected to increase further, he said. Under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, launched in the run-up to the 2024 assembly polls, the state government provides financial assistance of Rs.1,500 per month directly to eligible women through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Following a strict e-KYC verification drive that concluded on April 30, around 8 million ineligible or unverified applicants were removed from the beneficiary list, reducing the total active beneficiaries to 16.6 million. The opposition slammed the government over the drop, saying it had cheated the people. "Since the government no longer needs support of the Ladki Bahin who voted them to power, it has started dropping beneficiaries from the list," alleged Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushama Andhare. The state government and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis must clarify who would take responsibility of the Rs.288 crore paid earlier to beneficiaries who did not complete their e-KYC, she said. Meghana Sakore-Bordikar, minister of state for women and child welfare said the beneficiary list had been pruned for not complying with the criteria. "Most deleted beneficiaries owned four-wheelers, paid tax or had high income. Eligible beneficiaries will not be deprived of the scheme," Sakore-Bordikar said....