The Maharashtra government’s Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme currently covers about 1.57 crore women. This is down sharply from 2.43 crore at rollout. The drop came after a strict eligibility check by the Women and Child Development (WCD) department. Criteria included family income below ₹2.5 lakh, no duplicates, max two women per household, and exclusion of government employees. Around 86 lakh applicants were rejected over 17 months. The scheme began in July 2024, giving ₹1,500 monthly for five months till November 2024. Out of 2.63 crore applicants, only 1.57 crore now receive funds after completing e-KYC. The WCD minister, Aditi Tatkare, said men had even applied, leading to careful scrutiny. During e-KYC, 1.88 crore women verified themselves, but 24 lakh were wrongly tagged as state employees because of flawed and age-related questions. These women missed one month’s payment. To fix this, the government will do physical verification through Anganwadi workers, said Ms. Tatkare on X. She added this step is to help empower women economically and improve their health and nutrition. Beneficiaries must complete e-KYC by December 31, 2025, to keep receiving ₹1,500 monthly directly to their bank accounts. Many faced problems like no OTP or data errors. Hira Lahange from Palghar said, "I received ladki bahin money for four months. When they asked for KYC, I was not getting OTP on my daughter’s phone as her number was registered." A senior WCD official said, "Physical verification will be done by Anganwadi sevika to check claims. Those who fit criteria will continue to get instalments. Political leaders will decide about missed payments." No new applications will be accepted under the scheme.