New Delhi, Aug. 10 -- Women applying for the Delhi government's Lakshmi Yojana welfare programme must ensure that children in their family are vaccinated in line with government norms, including the HPV jab for girls aged above 14, and applicants must consent to the use of their personal information for "monitoring and evaluation", according to the scheme's standard operating procedure (SOP), the latest in a long line of caveats the state prescribes for eligibility. The protocol and application form also requires applicants to sign off on their personal data being shared "with other authorities", including "banking partners or other stakeholders associated with the scheme", as well as to undertake an online pledge for centrally backed social causes such as "Ek Pedh Maa ke Naam", "Swachh Bharat" and "No To Single-Use Plastic", or other programmes prescribed by the government. "All children should be vaccinated as per Government prescribed schedule in the family, including HPV vaccine (more than 14-year-old girl child)," says the SOP, in the "Responsibilities of Beneficiaries & Conditionalities for Beneficiary Family" section, which lays down a range of requirements for applicants. Women are required to sign an undertaking on similar lines in the application form: "I will ensure that all children in the family are vaccinated, including the HPV vaccine for girls above 14 years of age." The declaration is a rare instance of a government programme being directly linked with a vaccination requirement. To be sure, the jabs are not mandatory to submit the application for the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana. However, officials said applicants may be asked to furnish proof or for responses on the status of vaccinations during the verification process. A Delhi government official said, "The scheme targets the section of society that does not have a favourable opinion of vaccinations. This exercise is aimed at creating awareness about vaccination." The SOP comes months after the Centre on February 28 rolled out a nationwide HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccination programme, which intended to around 11.5 million girls across India and 160,000 in Delhi against the infection. Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, senior physician and health policy expert, said inoculations have always been voluntary in India. "If the government has said the applicant should ensure the family is vaccinated, it is not an issue. No vaccination in the country is mandatory. Even the Covid-19 vaccine was not," he added....