Launched in 2024 ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly election, the Ladki Bahin scheme initially delivered a vital financial lifeline to farm widows in the mostly rain-starved Marathwada region. But with the political dust settled, mass deletions of beneficiaries have abruptly turned that brief security into deep anxiety, finds Radheshyam Jadhav Launched in 2024 ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly election, the Ladki Bahin scheme initially delivered a vital financial lifeline to farm widows in the mostly rain-starved Marathwada region. But with the political dust settled, mass deletions of beneficiaries have abruptly turned that brief security into deep anxiety, finds Radheshyam Jadhav