Taking an important decision, Delhi Government has changed the official name of its flagship Mahila Samriddhi Yojana to Delhi Lakshmi Yojana. Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs 2500 per month will be provided to eligible women in the age group of 21 to 60 years. Delhi government has set a target to launch this ambitious scheme around Rakshabandhan next month. Eligibility standards have also been fixed for this scheme.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta held a high-level review meeting regarding the scheme at Delhi Secretariat on Monday. Senior officials of the concerned departments including Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma were present in the meeting. The Chief Minister gave clear instructions to the officials that the benefits of the scheme should reach the eligible women in a transparent, simple and time bound manner and there should not be any administrative hindrance in its implementation.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, women empowerment is not just a social resolution but has become the cornerstone of developed India. The Prime Minister has always considered women-led development as the most effective medium for the country's progress. Taking the same thinking forward, the Delhi government is providing a strong foundation to the women of the capital to live an economically strong, self-reliant and respectable life through 'Delhi Lakshmi Yojana'.
The Chief Minister said that we believe that when the woman of the house becomes financially strong, then the progress of the family, society and nation will get a new impetus. In the meeting, the Chief Minister told the officials to ensure strict adherence to all the guidelines of the scheme, so that its benefits reach only the genuine eligible beneficiaries. He said that the government aims to implement the scheme with complete transparency and accountability.
The eligibility criteria of the scheme were also discussed in detail in the meeting. According to the decision, the benefit of the scheme will be available only to that woman who herself or her family has been a resident of Delhi for at least 10 years. There should not be any kind of criminal record against the beneficiary and his family. On the basis of age, only the eldest woman in the family will be eligible for this scheme and only one woman from a family will be given its benefit.
Apart from this, the annual income of the beneficiary's family should not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh. A woman who is already taking benefit of any pension or other regular financial assistance scheme of the government will not be eligible for this scheme. Similarly, the women of the family which has a four-wheeler will also not get the benefit of this scheme.
The Delhi government estimates that this ambitious scheme will directly benefit women of lakhs of families in the capital. This will increase the economic participation of women, strengthen the financial stability of families and give new impetus to women empowerment in the society.
According to the Chief Minister, the aim of the government is that every eligible woman should get such a basis of economic security, so that she can play a more effective role in the strength of her family and the development of the society. Our government considers women empowerment as an important foundation of good governance and is committed to bringing positive changes in the lives of millions of women through this scheme.
