Tribal Women Struggle With e-KYC For 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' Due To Poor Internet

Nandurbar: Women in tribal-dominated Khardi Khurd village on the banks of Narmada river in Dhadgaon taluka of Maharashtra's Nandurbar district are facing significant challenges in performing e-KYC validation for the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' beneficiaries due to poor internet connectivity.

They have to climb hilly roads, waiting atop for hours to get a proper network. Some even attach their mobile phones to trees or fix their phones to branches and hold those high for proper internet connectivity. Even if they get network and start the e-KYC validation, the process halts midway due to poor connectivity.

The 'Mukhyamantri - Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana', launched by the state's women and child development department on June 28, 2024, provides women, aged 21 to 65 years and with annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh, with monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 through direct benefit transfer. In a directive in September, the state government made it mandatory to complete the e-KYC (Know Your Customer) within November 18 to continue the benefits of the scheme.

In order to complete e-KYC validation, one needs to go to the designated 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' portal, open the e-KYC form and fill up the details, including Aadhaar number and captcha code. After this, an OTP is sent to the beneficiary's Aadhaar-linked mobile number that needs to be submitted.

However, many beneficiaries performing the e-KYC validation in the tribal dominated Khardi Khurd village complained that when the portal finally opens after a lot of effort and they submit the details, the OPT is not received as their internet had got disconnected.

Kalpesh Pawra, a villager, said, "It is time for the government to do a e-KYC for women living in areas that lack roads, electricity, drinking water facilities and basic facilities. In order to do the e-KYC validation for 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' one needs a fast internet but there is no internet connectivity here."

Echoing the same, Sevibai Pawra, a beneficiary of the Ladki Bahin Yojana said people like her are facing immense problem in e-KYC validation due to poor internet. "We are trying hard to get our e-KYC done but our attempts are unsuccessful. We are afraid that if the government does not help us we will be left out of the benefits of the scheme without any fault of ours," she said.

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