RANCHI, Jan. 7 -- Around 133,000 beneficiaries who crossed the age bar of 50 have been phased out of the Mukhyamantri Maiyan Samman Yojna (MMSY) in the past year, even as nearly 250,000 applications from newly eligible women who turned 18 during the same period are pending for addition, people close to the developments said on Tuesday. Under MMSY, the flagship scheme of the Hemant Soren government, women in the 18-50 age group receive Rs.2,500 every month through direct benefit transfer (DBT). The scheme was first launched in August 2024, when the government started giving Rs.1,000 per month to beneficiaries. In its last cabinet meeting ahead of the Jharkhand assembly elections in November 2024, the government gave its nod to raise the amount to Rs.2,500 per month. On January 6, 2025, chief minister Hemant Soren released Rs.2,500 each to 5.6 million beneficiaries. An official in social welfare department said the number of beneficiaries has reduced since then by over 500,000, largely on account of the filtration of ineligible beneficiaries as well as those who crossed the age bar of 50. "As per the latest compiled data, money was transferred to 5.104 million beneficiaries in October. In November, the number came down to 5.098."...