Mumbai: After using Aadhaar-based e-KYC to identify lakhs of ineligible beneficiaries under its flagship scheme — Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana (MMLBY) — the Maharashtra government has made Aadhaar-based verification mandatory for beneficiaries of all its welfare schemes. The state electronics, information technology and artificial intelligence department issued a notification on Friday to strengthen beneficiary identification, prevent duplication and ensure that welfare benefits reach only genuine recipients.

After Ladki Bahin clean-up, Aadhaar-based check for all welfare schemes in Maharashtra

Under the new policy, people applying for benefits who do not have an Aadhaar number will have to enrol for one. The government, however, has provided alternative verification mechanisms for those who have not been assigned an Aadhaar number.

For beneficiaries aged 18 years and above, the state will accept the Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) along with any one of several documents, including a ration card, caste or domicile certificate, Indian passport, driving licence, Class 10 or Class 12 marksheet, government-issued employee or pensioner identity card, medical or insurance identity card issued by a government entity or public sector undertaking, or a disability certificate or Unique Disability Identification (UDID) card.

“An individual desirous of availing of the said benefit under the said scheme shall be required to undergo authentication or furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number. In case such an individual has not been assigned an Aadhaar number, he shall be required to make an application for enrolment,” the 36-page notification stated.

For children below 18 without Aadhaar, the government has made it mandatory to submit an Aadhaar enrolment acknowledgement slip containing the Enrolment ID (EID), along with an age-proof document. The accepted documents include a birth certificate, Indian passport, Class 10 or Class 12 marksheet and, for children living in Child Care Institutions, a date-of-birth certificate issued by an authorised official of the institution.

The government has also put safeguards in place to ensure that children are not denied welfare benefits because they do not have Aadhaar or because authentication fails. Such children can establish their identity and their relationship with a parent or legal guardian through the prescribed process.

“Children without Aadhaar can avail of benefits by establishing their identity and relationship with a parent or legal guardian through the prescribed process, benefit under the said scheme shall be given to such a child by verifying his identity and establishing his relationship with his parent or legal guardian,” another official said.

The notification also lays down separate rules for foreign nationals without Aadhaar. OCI cardholders will have to submit their OCI cards, Tibetan refugees a registration certificate issued by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), and Nepal and Bhutan nationals their passports. Other foreign nationals will have to submit an Indian visa or Long-Term Visa along with a valid or expired foreign passport.

Officials have been directed to follow an exception-handling mechanism so that genuine beneficiaries aged 18 years and above are not denied benefits because of difficulties related to Aadhaar enrolment or authentication.

“To ensure that bonafide beneficiaries who are aged 18 years or more are not deprived of the benefits of schemes, officials have been directed to follow the exception-handling mechanism,” said an official from the state electronics, information technology and artificial intelligence department.

Records of such cases will have to be maintained and will be periodically reviewed and audited by the electronics, information technology and artificial intelligence department.

The new Aadhaar-based verification framework will apply to all government-run welfare schemes. Maharashtra currently implements 15 schemes for students below 18 years of age, 303 individual beneficiary schemes across 27 departments for adults and 13 schemes where age is not an eligibility criterion. The latter include schemes primarily meant for ex-servicemen and their family members.

The state government’s move follows the verification drive carried out under the Ladki Bahin scheme. Around 92 lakh beneficiaries were removed from the scheme, reducing its active beneficiary pool by roughly 38%.