Over a year, the Mahtari Vandan Yojana, a key initiative of the BJP government, removed the names of 3,399 women in Bastar district. Of these, 1,923 beneficiaries were deceased. Other reasons for removal included document irregularities or beneficiaries working in government service who were improperly claiming benefits.
Manoj Sinha, the Women and Child Development Officer, stated that in several cases, payments were issued due to delayed information regarding deaths, and the department is working to recover these funds. The scheme was inaugurated last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Kashi. In its first month, the program distributed the first installment to nearly 194,000 women in the district. The 19th installment was distributed this month. However, many women have been excluded from the scheme because they failed to register, their Aadhaar cards were inactive, or they had recently become eligible.
Registration efforts are underway in Naxal-affected areas. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Rajwade have already announced that the registration portal will be reopened. The Women and Child Development Officer added that while new registrations are not currently being accepted in Bastar district, registration of victims is taking place in Naxal-affected areas. The department has identified suspicious beneficiaries and placed them on an investigation list; recovery of funds is underway from those who have improperly received benefits.
