The Delhi Lakshmi Yojana provides ₹2,500 monthly assistance to eligible women aged 21 to 60 from low-income families.
Beneficiaries found ineligible can have their payments stopped, with the government recovering money already disbursed.
The guidelines also specify eligibility conditions, payment arrangements and restrictions on the use of CBDC wallet funds.
Ineligible Delhi Lakshmi Yojana Beneficiaries May Lose Aid, Face Recovery: Govt
The Delhi government has notified rules for the Lakshmi Yojana, including eligibility conditions, payment arrangements and recovery of funds from beneficiaries later found ineligible
Summary
The Delhi government has laid down detailed rules for the Lakshmi Yojana, including eligibility criteria, the manner in which financial assistance will be disbursed and provisions for recovery if a beneficiary is later found ineligible.
The guidelines, notified by the Women and Child Development Department, came into effect on August 1. The scheme provides monthly financial assistance of ₹2,500 to eligible women aged between 21 and 60 from low-income families in Delhi.
Under the guidelines, financial assistance will be stopped if a beneficiary is found to be ineligible at any stage. The government will also initiate recovery of the amount already disbursed, while legal or administrative action for fraud may be taken where applicable.
How Assistance Will Be Disbursed?
By default, ₹1,500 of the monthly assistance will be credited to a Recurring Deposit (RD) or Fixed Deposit (FD) account, with a lock-in period until July 31, 2029. The remaining ₹1,000 will be credited to the beneficiary's bank account linked to a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) wallet.
A woman can also choose to have the entire ₹2,500 credited to an RD or FD account, subject to the same lock-in period.
The CBDC wallet will carry restrictions on spending on items and services listed by the government, including alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, lottery tickets, gambling and betting.
In the event of a beneficiary's death, payments into the CBDC wallet will be stopped immediately. The amount accumulated in her RD account, along with interest, will be transferred to her legal heir. If the amount remains unclaimed for two years from the date of death, it will revert to the government account, according to the guidelines.
Who Is Eligible?
To qualify for the scheme, a woman must be the eldest eligible woman in her family and a registered voter of Delhi. The annual family income must not exceed ₹2.5 lakh.
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The applicant, her husband or either of her parents must have been a resident of Delhi for at least 10 years as on the date of application.
The scheme excludes women receiving government pensions or certain other government financial assistance, income-tax payees, GST filers, government servants and public office holders.
Women belonging to families with more than three living children, annual electricity consumption exceeding 2,400 units or ownership of a four-wheeler are also excluded.
Applications for the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana will remain open throughout the year through the scheme's portal.
The last day of each month will be treated as the cut-off date for applications received during that month. Eligible applications will be considered for benefits from the following month, subject to approval, the guidelines state.
(with agency inputs)
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