New Delhi, Aug. 6 -- New DelhiFor months, Anju, a 44-year-old domestic help from west Delhi's Raghubir Nagar, has looked forward to receiving the Rs.2,500 monthly assistance the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised ahead of the 2025 Delhi assembly elections. When the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana was rolled out on August 1, she rearranged her work schedule and reached the West Delhi district magistrate's office at 9am on Wednesday with her Aadhaar card, voter ID and photograph, hoping to complete the registration. "I thought I would be able to fill the form today, but I have only been able to register myself. I have been given the form and have been told that I also have to fill in the details of my son's AAPAR (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) ID. I don't even know what that is or if he even has one," said Anju, who lives in a one-room home with her husband and two children. Like Anju, several women encountered confusion over form-filling, Aadhaar-related discrepancies, inadequate manpower and computers at district magistrate offices, and references to AAPAR and Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs, which are not mandatory. Restrictive eligibility criteria, coupled with these initial hurdles, are also expected to reduce the potential beneficiary pool from the 1.7 million originally estimated. The scheme provides Rs.2,500 a month to the eldest woman aged 21 to 60 in a household with an annual income below Rs.2.5 lakh. The beneficiary, or her husband or parents, must have lived in Delhi for at least 10 years. Women with more than three children, those already receiving government financial assistance or pensions, income tax or GST payers, government employees or members of government employee families, families owning a four-wheeler, households consuming over 2,400 units of electricity annually, and women with a criminal record are ineligible. Mandatory documents include an Aadhaar card, voter ID card, photograph, one proof each of residence and age, and a recommendation letter from the MLA or MP of the applicant's constituency. AAPAR and ABHA IDs are optional. Government data showed that by 9pm on Wednesday, 3,78,485 applicants had registered, but only 1,16,650 had submitted completed applications. At the West Delhi DM office, HT found women queuing at a special registration counter staffed by three women officials. Registration involves furnishing Aadhaar details and a mobile number, after which an OTP is generated and a receipt issued. Applicants are then handed a four-page form, required to obtain a recommendation letter from their MLA or MP, submit the application online and return to the DM office with the acknowledgement receipt. Many struggled with the form. Gorakhi, 54, was turned away because her Aadhaar lacked her date of birth. "I wasted my day here, my husband's too. I have been told to fix my Aadhaar first. That itself will take time," she said. An official told HT, "Women have to fill these forms themselves. It's not our job." For 50-year-old Anita, Wednesday marked her second visit in four days. She claimed she was asked for an income certificate while seeking her MLA's recommendation. "I don't earn anything. I don't even know what an income certificate is," she said. MLA Harish Khurana said, "We are not asking for income certificate. There may be some discrepancy or confusion." Despite the hurdles, Anju remained determined. "I don't know when I'll finally be able to submit the form and get Rs.2,500 a month. But I'll do it," she said....