Delhi Lakshmi Yojana: Criminal past, owning 4-wheeler can make women ineligible for ₹2.5k aid

Only one woman from each household will be eligible for the Delhi government’s flagship monthly financial assistance scheme, and in families with more than one eligible applicant, only the eldest woman will qualify for the ₹2,500 benefit

Only one woman from each household will be eligible for the Delhi government’s flagship monthly financial assistance scheme, and in families with more than one eligible applicant, only the eldest woman will qualify for the ₹2,500 benefit. Further, if either the applicant or any member of her family has a criminal record, the household will be ineligible for the scheme, the government announced on Monday.

The criteria were finalised at a high-level review meeting chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta. (Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

The government also announced other eligibility criteria for the scheme, officially renamed from “Mahila Samriddhi Yojana” to “Delhi Lakshmi Yojana”. Only women aged between 21 and 60 years who, or whose families, have been residents of Delhi for at least 10 years, have an annual family income of not more than ₹2.5 lakh, and are not receiving any government pension or other regular financial assistance will be eligible.

According to officials, an applicant will also be ineligible only if they are currently receiving a government pension. Those who are beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana or the Public Distribution System (PDS) will still be considered.

The criteria were finalised at a high-level review meeting chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta, with the government targeting the scheme’s launch around Raksha Bandhan next month.

During the meeting, Gupta directed officials to ensure the scheme is implemented in a transparent, simple and time-bound manner. “The government believes that when a woman in a household becomes financially secure, it accelerates the progress of the family, society and the nation alike,” she said.

She also instructed officials to strictly enforce the eligibility norms to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries receive assistance. “The government’s objective is to implement the scheme with complete transparency and accountability,” Gupta said.

Officials said the number of beneficiaries is expected to be significant. Delhi currently an estimated 1.55 million ration card holders, and the eventual beneficiary base is expected to be of a similar magnitude, although the final number will depend on verification under the revised eligibility criteria.

During her budget speech this year, chief minister Rekha Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, allocated ₹5,110 crore for this flagship women’s welfare scheme.

The rollout of the scheme has attracted political attention because it was prominently featured in the BJP’s election campaign but has yet to be implemented nearly six months after the party came to power in Delhi.

Addressing questions over the delay in an interview with HT in February, Gupta had said the government was reviewing the beneficiary database to widen the scheme’s reach while ensuring fiscal sustainability. “We realised that most welfare schemes are linked to ration cards and the same set of beneficiaries avail all these scheme benefits. We are trying to define the eligibility in a way that the scope is widened,” Gupta had said.