Who is eligible for monthly aid scheme for women? Delhi government finalises criteria

Neither the beneficiary nor any member of her family should have a criminal record, the annual family income should not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh, the beneficiary should be aged between 21 and 60, should be a resident of Delhi for at least 10 years and only one woman per family can be added as a beneficiary — these are among the eligibility criteria finalised by the BJP-led Delhi government for its much-awaited scheme for financial assistance to women, also a flagship poll promise.

During a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday, the government also decided to rename the scheme, earlier called the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, to Delhi Laxmi Yojana. It is set to be rolled out on Rakshabandhan on August 28.

Gupta said, “The Prime Minister has consistently viewed women-led development as the most effective driver of the country’s progress. Taking this vision forward, the Delhi government is going to provide women a strong foundation for financial empowerment, self-reliance and a life of dignity through the Lakshmi Yojana.”

She said that her government believes that “when a woman in a household becomes financially secure, it accelerates the progress of the family, society and the nation alike”.

Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP had promised a monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 for women from economically weaker sections. During one of the poll campaigns, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised women voters of Delhi a monthly assistance of Rs 2,500, to be transferred to their account from March 8, the International Women’s Day.

However, on March 8, the government approved the scheme and constituted a high-level committee headed by Gupta, with PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh, Law Minister Kapil Mishra, Education Minister Ashish Sood as members, to frame the norms and earmarked Rs 5,100 crore for the scheme.

According to officials, the meeting was also attended by Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma and senior officials from departments concerned.

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Gupta, who also holds the portfolio of Woman and Child Development (WCD), directed officials to ensure that the benefits reach all eligible women in a transparent, simple and time-bound manner, without any administrative hurdles in its implementation.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister also instructed officials to ensure strict adherence to all the guidelines of the scheme so that only genuine beneficiaries receive the benefits.

The CMO, in a statement on Monday, said: “A detailed discussion on the scheme’s eligibility criteria was also held. It was decided that only those women will be eligible who, or whose families, have been residents of Delhi for at least 10 years. Neither the beneficiary nor her family should have any criminal record. Within a family, only the eldest eligible woman will qualify for the scheme, and only one woman from each family will be entitled to receive the benefit.”

Officials said that women who are already receiving government pensions will not be eligible for the scheme. Women from families that own a four-wheeler will also be ineligible.

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According to government estimates, the scheme will benefit 20-22 lakh women. A senior official said an online registration portal for the scheme has been developed for the applicants.

The CM said that her government’s objective is to provide every eligible woman with a reliable foundation of financial security, enabling her to play a stronger role in supporting her family and contributing to the society.

“The government considers women’s empowerment to be a key pillar of good governance and remains committed to bringing positive change to the lives of lakhs of women through this scheme,” she added.