Haryana is set to widen the reach of the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana, bringing a larger number of women within the ambit of monthly financial assistance.
With the annual family income eligibility being raised from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.80 lakh, the scheme is set to extend its reach to more women while strengthening their financial security and self-reliance, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Monday.
Under the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana, eligible women are being provided financial assistance of Rs 2,100 per month.
Scheme aims to economically empower women
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday said the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana was launched by the Haryana government to economically empower women.
He made it clear that no woman receiving benefits under the scheme or registering for it would be deprived of benefits available under any other government scheme.
Saini said some opposition leaders are trying to create confusion among women by claiming that registration under the Lado Lakshmi Yojana would lead to discontinuation of other benefits, including pensions.
According to an official statement, Saini clarified that there is no truth in such claims. He asserted that all women registering for or receiving benefits under the Lado Lakshmi Yojana will continue to receive benefits under other government schemes as before.
Saini said that before the State Assembly elections in 2024, the BJP had made 217 'Sankalps' (promises), one of which was to provide monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,100 to women from poor families once the government was formed.
After coming to power, the state government made a provision of Rs 5,000 crore for the scheme in its very first budget (last year) and started providing Rs 2,100 per month to women belonging to families with an annual income of up to Rs 1 lakh.
At present, more than Rs 2,000 crore has been transferred into the bank accounts of nearly 10 lakh women across the State under the scheme.
Government increases budgetary provision
Taking the initiative forward, the government has made a provision of Rs 6,500 crore for the scheme in its second budget.
Saini said the government has now decided to include women from families with an annual income of up to Rs 1.80 lakh under the scheme. The registration portal will be opened shortly for this purpose.
He called upon eligible women to register once the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana portal opens and avail themselves of the monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,100.
Saini said the expansion of the income eligibility criterion will pave the way for a large number of additional women to come under the scheme.
Focus on women's financial independence
He said the objective of the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana is not limited to providing financial assistance. It also seeks to make women self-reliant and strengthen their role in the financial decision-making process within their families, he said.
Saini said the government endeavours to ensure that women from economically weaker families receive financial assistance directly.
Women play an important role in strengthening the economic foundation of a family, and when they have financial resources of their own, it enhances their confidence and positively impacts the social and economic development of the entire household, he said.
Saini said the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana takes this very approach forward.
He said the government's message is clear- when women are empowered, families become stronger, and when families become stronger, Haryana becomes stronger.