14,000 men were Laadki Bahin beneficiaries, 80 lakh in all dropped from scheme: CM

Times News NetworkMumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday that 80 lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhya Mantri Laadki Bahin Yojana have been dropped from the scheme. “When scrutiny of documents from various databases was carried out, it was found that 14,000 beneficiaries were men, five lakh were govt employees, 10 lakh were income tax payees and four-five lakh were those where the household owned a vehicle,” he said.In an interview to a media channel on Monday, Fadnavis said that when the scheme was launched, the state govt had set certain criteria for eligibility but had allowed self-certification. It was the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that had questioned why there was no scrutiny. Following strictures from the CAG, the state govt asked the beneficiaries to submit their KYC (Know Your Customer) details. KYC is a mandatory verification process used by businesses and financial institutions to confirm the identity of their clients and assess potential risks. It prevents identity theft, financial fraud and the creation of fake accounts.“Many have not done their KYC despite repeated reminders. Obviously it is because they do not fit into one of the criteria,” the CM said. The govt, he said, has corrected 25 lakh KYC documents that had discrepancies. “We urge those who have still not submitted their KYC to do so. If we continue to give to the ineligible, the CAG is bound to tell us to recover it, which would be very bad. Today we have taken a stand that all those ineligible and have still taken the money, we will give them a one-time waiver, except the men from whom the money will be recovered.” Fadnavis said, adding that this was people’s money and it can only be spent according to rules.Fadnavis said Maharashtra has the largest number of women beneficiaries in the country, under this scheme. It is now approximately 1.7 crore.On the challenges before him, Fadnavis said the big challenge is climate change and its impact on the agrarian economy.