The Chief Minister's My Beloved Sister Scheme (Ladki Bahin Yojana) has become a 'game changer' for the grand alliance government, but it has now become a matter of concern for many beneficiaries. The state government has made the e-KYC process mandatory for eligible women under this scheme, with a deadline set for December 31. However, with only five days remaining until the deadline, a large number of beneficiaries have still not completed the e-KYC.
Although around 500,000 women across the state have completed the e-KYC process so far, it has come to light that more than 40,000 beneficiaries are still pending. Therefore, it is speculated that these women may be disqualified from the scheme. This scheme, which started just before the assembly elections, had given a significant political advantage to the grand alliance. However, after cases of ineligible beneficiaries and government employees taking advantage of the scheme came to light, the Women and Child Welfare Department decided to make e-KYC mandatory.
Initially, the deadline for e-KYC was given until November 18. However, considering natural disasters and other difficulties, the government extended this deadline to December 31. Currently, around 6.5 lakh women in the district are benefiting from this scheme, and out of them, approximately four to four and a half lakh women have completed e-KYC.
The government has clarified that special facilities have been made available on the portal for beneficiaries whose husbands or fathers are not alive. According to government statistics, out of 26.3 million applications, 24.3 million women have been deemed eligible, and approximately 8,000 government employees have been found ineligible during the investigation. The process of recovering the amount from them has been initiated. Beneficiaries are urged to complete the process immediately as there is a possibility of permanently losing the benefit if e-KYC is not done on time.