New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) The newly launched Delhi Laxmi Yojana continued to receive a good response from city women, with 1.54 lakh registering on the official portal and 10,723 submitting their final applications till 7.48 am on Monday, an official said.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday officially launched the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana. She also inaugurated the scheme’s online registration portal, www.dly.delhi.gov.in.
Within 12 hours of the portal going live, 33,730-plus registrations were done by city women. During this period, 1,940 final applications were submitted, said an official.
Under the scheme, eligible women will receive financial assistance of Rs 2,500 every month. Going beyond direct financial support, the scheme aims to connect women with savings, digital financial inclusion, social security and long-term financial stability, making it an innovative model in the country, said the Chief Minister.
Addressing the gathering at the launch event, the Chief Minister said the Delhi government has fulfilled the commitment it made during the Assembly elections to strengthen the economic empowerment of women.
She said the Delhi Cabinet had originally approved the scheme as the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, but it was later renamed Delhi Laxmi Yojana to better reflect the broader vision of women’s dignity, prosperity and economic empowerment.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the scheme will initially be implemented for a period of three years and is expected to benefit nearly 17 lakh women.
She said the scheme has been designed differently from conventional cash assistance programmes. Beneficiaries will be able to choose between two financial options based on their individual needs. Under the first option, Rs 1,000 every month will be credited to a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) wallet for meeting day-to-day expenses, while the remaining Rs 1,500 will be deposited in an RD/FD account.
Under the second option, the entire Rs 2,500 will be deposited in an RD/FD every month, allowing beneficiaries to build substantial savings over time along with interest. In this way, the scheme seeks to provide immediate financial assistance as well as long-term financial security, she said.
The Chief Minister said a digital negative list will be implemented for the CBDC wallet to ensure that government assistance is used only for essential household needs. The amount credited to the wallet cannot be spent on alcohol, tobacco, narcotic substances, lottery tickets, gambling, betting or any other goods and services prohibited by the government from time to time. This will ensure that the financial assistance is utilised for the welfare of families.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the Delhi Laxmi Yojana will operate entirely through a technology-driven and digital platform. The newly-launched DLY portal will integrate the entire process, including applications, document verification, eligibility assessment, approvals, PFMS integration, banking services, CBDC transfers and SMS services. This will make the process faster, more transparent and accountable.
Every application will go through a four-stage verification and approval process before sanction. The District Programme Management Unit will first scrutinise the application, followed by verification by the District Women and Child Development Officer. The application will then be reviewed and approved by the District-Level Approval, Monitoring and Grievance Redressal Committee.
The Chief Minister said detailed verification will be carried out to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries receive assistance. This will include Aadhaar authentication, Delhi voter registration, annual family income, family details, electricity consumption, vehicle ownership, pension status, government service records and other prescribed eligibility criteria.
Any false information or fraudulent claim will invite recovery of the assistance amount along with appropriate legal and administrative action, she said.
The Chief Minister said the eldest eligible woman in the family will be allowed to apply under the scheme. The applicant must be between 21 and 60 years of age, the family’s annual income should not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh, the applicant or her parents/husband must have been residents of Delhi for at least 10 years, and the beneficiary must be a registered voter in Delhi.
–IANS
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