‘Women aren’t birth machines’, CM Rekha Gupta defends Lakshmi Yojana as AAP questions it's conditions

The scheme allocates ₹5,100 crore for women aged 21 to 60, offering monthly assistance of ₹2,500 while emphasizing family planning as a personal choice.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Monday stressed that women’s health and financial empowerment were top priorities for the government and that women should not be treated merely as “machines for giving birth to children” as she hit back at criticism from the opposition over its eligibility conditions.

Gupta was responding to allegations by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that the scheme’s impact would be limited by a condition excluding women with more than three children (HT)

Gupta was responding to allegations by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that the scheme’s impact would be limited by a condition excluding women with more than three children. AAP leader and former Delhi minister Gopal Rai also questioned the requirement for women to prove that they had been living in Delhi for 10 years, and said the registration process was tedious.

Addressing the criticism, Gupta said family planning was a personal choice and did not require anyone’s permission. She also opposed the practice of repeatedly expanding families in the hope of having a male child, stressing that women’s health could not be compromised in the process.

Responding to questions raised by the opposition during the second day of the monsoon session, she also accused successive Congress and AAP governments of failing to implement a scheme of comparable scale.

The Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, under which eligible women aged 21 to 60 will receive ₹2,500 a month, is among the biggest welfare initiatives of the BJP-led Delhi government, Gupta said. She said the scheme had been allocated ₹5,100 crore and would benefit around 1.7 million women.

Under the scheme, ₹1,000 of the monthly assistance will be made available through a digital wallet, while ₹1,500 will be saved through a fixed deposit or recurring deposit. Gupta said the savings component would accumulate over three years and could reach ₹60,000, including interest.

According to the chief minister, 592,406 registrations had been completed since the portal was launched on August 1.

Lakshmi Yojana has multiple exclusion criteria

The scheme, however, has several exclusion criteria. Women with more than three children are ineligible. Also excluded are women already receiving financial assistance or pensions under another government scheme, income-tax payers, GST return filers and government employees, as well as women belonging to families with members employed by the Centre or a state government. Families owning a four-wheeler, those with annual household electricity consumption exceeding 2,400 units and women with a criminal record are also excluded.

Gupta also defended the government’s position on women from neighbouring states using Delhi government facilities. Referring to Saheli Pink Smart Cards, which provide free travel to Delhi women and transgender residents on DTC and cluster buses, she said taxpayers’ money should primarily benefit Delhi residents.

The AAP had earlier accused the government of alienating women from UP and Bihar.

Gupta attacked the opposition over its claims on women safety and dignity, citing allegations and cases involving some opposition leaders and former legislators.

Gupta defended the government’s proposed bicycle scheme for girls, rejecting criticism that it was linked to electoral politics. She said the initiative was intended to help girls travel to school, continue their education and reduce drop-out rates.

Timebound Services Bill

Delhi IT minister Pankaj Kumar Singh introduced the Delhi (Right of Citizens to Time Bound and Ease of Delivery of Services) Bill, 2026, in the assembly. The proposed law seeks to replace the 2011 legislation and give citizens a legal right to receive notified government services within prescribed timelines. Officials may face penalties of ₹250 a day, up to ₹5,000, for unjustified delays or wrongful rejection.

The Delhi Private Universities Bill has been put on hold and is unlikely to be tabled during the session, officials said.

BJP, AAP clash over Tahir Hussain conviction

The second day of the session concluded with a debate over the conviction of former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma. The issue triggered a heated exchange between BJP and AAP MLAs, who accused each other of involvement in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.