Shimla, Oct. 2 -- Change in criteria and pending scrutiny of the large number of applications have forced the Himachal Pradesh government to defer its flagship welfare scheme 'Mukhyamantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana '. The scheme was set to be launched on October 2. At the Independence Day function in Hamirpur, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had announced that his government would launch the 'Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar' scheme for the welfare of 1.80 lakh economically vulnerable families in the state. Since then, the government has received 2.38 lakh applications. The CM said under the scheme, the eligible families would receive a monthly financial assistance of Rs.1,500 and 300 units of free electricity. Officials, familiar with the matter, said that the scheme is now likely to be launched on December 11, to mark the completion of the four years of the Sukhu government. "Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to attend the event," the officials said, requesting anonymity. Sukhu, on September 26, while addressing a rally in Mandi, said that the family income limit would be increased from Rs.50,000 to Rs.75,000. A senior government official, not willing to be named, said that owing to incomplete verification of all the applicants, the date of launch had been pushed further. "The department is currently engaged in scrutinising and verifying the applications, which is likely to take a month to complete. Furthermore, the necessary guidelines for the scheme have not yet been finalised. Consequently, rather than launching the scheme on October 2, the government is waiting for the verification process to conclude and the guidelines to be prepared," he said. The process is taking time because of the multi-level scrutiny and technical procedures involved from the initial stage. Initially, the concerned panchayat secretary will examine and verify the applications. Subsequently, these applications will undergo secondary verification by a committee constituted at the block level. Following this process, the panchayat secretary will enter the eligible applications into the relevant software. Subsequently, these applications will also be verified at the block development officer (BDO) level. Six categories have been defined under the scheme's criteria. These include: families consisting solely of orphan children under the age of 27; families comprising only elderly members over the age of 59, with no adult members aged between 27 and 59; female-headed households with no adult members aged between 27 and 59 (including widows, unmarried women, divorcees, and abandoned women) families headed by a person with a 40% disability and families where an earning member has become permanently incapacitated due to an ailments....