India, Aug. 5 -- The Delhi government's flagship Delhi Lakshmi Yojana has witnessed a strong response from women across the national capital, with more than 3 lakh registrations recorded within four days of the launch of its online portal. According to official figures available till 8 pm on Tuesday, 3,00,709 women had registered, while 71,411 applicants had successfully completed the final submission process. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had formally launched the scheme and its dedicated online portal on August 1. Officials had said that the portal attracted over 33,700 registrations within the first 12 hours, with nearly 2,000 applications being fully submitted on the opening day itself. Also Read - Factory wall collapse kills two firefighters The scheme promises Rs 2,500 per month to eligible women but has been designed to promote both immediate financial support and long-term savings rather than functioning as a conventional cash transfer programme. Speaking at the launch, Gupta said the initiative fulfils the BJP government's commitment to strengthening the financial independence of women in Delhi. She also noted that while the Cabinet had initially approved the programme as the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, it was later renamed Delhi Lakshmi Yojana to reflect its broader objective of promoting women's dignity, prosperity and economic security. Also Read - GZB: Kanwariya killed in NH-9 road accident, another dies after snakebite The Chief Minister had announced that the scheme would initially remain in force for three years and is expected to benefit around 17 lakh women across the city. Under the programme, beneficiaries can choose between two financial models. In the first option, Rs 1,000 is credited every month to a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) wallet for routine household expenses, while the remaining Rs 1,500 is deposited in a recurring or fixed deposit account. The second option allows the entire Rs 2,500 to be transferred into an RD or FD account each month, enabling beneficiaries to build savings and earn interest over time. Also Read - NOTTO app to track recipients, streamline organ allocation To ensure that government assistance is used for essential household needs, the CBDC wallet will operate with a digital negative list. Expenditure on alcohol, tobacco products, narcotic substances, gambling, betting, lottery tickets and other prohibited items will not be permitted. The government has made the scheme completely digital, with the portal handling applications, document uploads, eligibility verification, approvals, banking integration, CBDC transfers and SMS notifications. Officials said every application will undergo a four-stage verification process, beginning with scrutiny by the District Programme Management Unit, followed by verification by the District Women and Child Development Officer. The final approval will be granted by the District-Level Approval, Monitoring and Grievance Redressal Committee. Also Read - Biker dies after crashing into parked car; 1 injured Authorities said applicants' details will be verified through Aadhaar authentication, Delhi voter records, family income, electricity consumption, vehicle ownership, pension records, government employment status and other eligibility parameters. Any false declaration may lead to cancellation of benefits, recovery of the amount paid and legal action. To qualify, the applicant must be the eldest eligible woman in the family, aged between 21 and 60 years. The annual family income should not exceed Rs.2.5 lakh, and either the applicant or her parents or husband must have been residing in Delhi for at least 10 years. The beneficiary must also be a registered voter in the national capital.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.