Registrations by women under the Delhi government’s Delhi Lakshmi Yojana (DLY) crossed the five-lakh mark on Saturday, within a week of the scheme’s launch, reflecting a strong response to the initiative, an official said.
The DLY portal had recorded 4.87 lakh registrations and 1.99 lakh submitted applications by 8 p.m. on Friday, the official said. Registrations surged overnight and during the early hours of Saturday, taking the total beyond five lakh by the afternoon.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the Delhi Cabinet had initially approved the scheme as the ‘Mahila Samriddhi Yojana’, but it was subsequently renamed Delhi Lakshmi Yojana to reflect its broader focus on women’s dignity, prosperity and economic empowerment.
Gupta said the scheme differs from conventional cash assistance programmes by offering beneficiaries two financial options based on their individual needs.
“Under the first option, Rs 1,000 every month will be credited to a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) wallet for meeting day-to-day expenses, while the remaining Rs 1,500 will be deposited in an RD/FD account,” she said.
“Under the second option, the entire Rs 2,500 will be deposited in an RD/FD every month, allowing beneficiaries to build substantial savings over time along with interest. In this way, the scheme seeks to provide immediate financial assistance as well as long-term financial security,” the Chief Minister added.
Gupta said a digital negative list would be implemented for the CBDC wallet to ensure that the financial assistance is used only for essential household needs.
“The amount credited to the wallet cannot be spent on alcohol, tobacco, narcotic substances, lottery tickets, gambling, betting or any other goods and services prohibited by the government from time to time. This will ensure that the financial assistance is utilised for the welfare of families,” she said.
(IANS Inputs)
