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The Delhi government recently approved the 'Delhi Lakshmi Yojana,' a scheme providing financial assistance of ₹2,500 per month to women. The online application portal for this scheme will open on August 1, and the government plans to release the first installment around the festival of Raksha Bandhan. However, not every woman will be eligible for this scheme; the government has established several rules that are crucial to understand. If you are considering applying, please ensure you are fully aware of the terms and conditions first.

**Which women will benefit from the scheme?**
According to the government, the scheme is available only to women aged between 21 and 60 years. The family's annual income must be ₹2.50 lakh or less. Additionally, the woman must have been a resident of Delhi for at least 10 years; a self-declaration regarding this residency is required at the time of application.

**No ₹2,500 benefit for those with more than 3 children**
Under the rules of the Delhi government's Lakshmi Yojana, women with more than three living children are ineligible for the scheme and will not receive the benefit. Any such applications will be automatically excluded from the scheme's scope.

**Electricity consumption exceeding 2,400 units**
If a family's annual electricity consumption exceeds 2,400 units, the woman in that family will not be able to avail the benefits of the scheme. The government has included this as a key eligibility criterion.

**Applications rejected if income exceeds ₹2.5 lakh**
Families with an annual income exceeding ₹2.50 lakh, or those with a family member who pays income tax, will not benefit from the scheme. Such families will be considered ineligible.

**Ineligibility due to government jobs or four-wheeler ownership**
Applications will not be accepted if any family member holds a government job or if the family owns a four-wheeler. The government has explicitly included these two conditions in the scheme's guidelines.

**Women already receiving pensions or other government financial aid are excluded**
Women who are already availing benefits from any government financial assistance scheme or pension will not be eligible for this scheme. Additionally, an application may be rejected if any family member has a criminal record.

**Benefit limited to one woman per family**
The government has clarified that only one woman from a family can avail the benefits of this scheme. If more than one woman in a family is eligible, priority will be given to the eldest woman.

**How ​​will the ₹2,500 be provided? Two options offered by the government**
The government has provided two options for beneficiaries under this scheme. Under the first option, ₹1,500 will be deposited monthly into a Recurring Deposit (RD) or Fixed Deposit (FD) account, while ₹1,000 will be provided in a CBDC digital rupee wallet. Funds in the digital wallet can only be used for items specified in the government's approved list.

Under the second option, women can choose to have the entire ₹2,500 deposited directly into their RD or FD accounts. The government states that this will help women build long-term savings.

**Three-year lock-in period for RD**
According to the government's proposal, the amount deposited in the RD account will be subject to a three-year lock-in period. Upon completion of the three years, the total accumulated amount along with the accrued interest will be transferred to the woman's bank account. The objective is to ensure future financial security for women.

**Registration begins August 1; first installment expected around Raksha Bandhan**
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that the online application portal for the scheme will launch on August 1. A district-level mechanism has been established to verify applications, ensuring that eligible women receive approval quickly. The government aims to release the first installment around the time of Raksha Bandhan.

**How ​​many women will benefit, and what is the projected expenditure?**
The Delhi government estimates that approximately 17 lakh women will benefit from this scheme. A provision of ₹5,110 crore has been made in the 2026-27 budget for this purpose. The scheme will initially be in effect for three years. Thereafter, it may be continued with modifications based on requirements.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Amar Ujala. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.