Delhi Lakshmi Yojana RD maturity set for July 2029, year of next Lok Sabha polls

The maturity date of the recurring deposit under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana is currently set for July 31, 2029, with the Council of Ministers empowered to change it after reviewing the scheme two years after its launch. The date falls in the year of the next Lok Sabha polls, according to a document.

Applicants without an Aadhaar card can still register under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana by providing an Aadhaar enrolment slip, where available, along with an alternative document such as a PAN card, ration card, voter identity card, passport or driving licence, it said.

The Women and Child Development Department will facilitate Aadhaar enrolment for beneficiaries who have not yet obtained the identity number through its district offices.

Applicants can therefore seek Aadhaar enrolment while completing registration under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, the document said.

“The Council of Ministers will have the power to review and change the maturity period of recurring deposits under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana after two years of its launch,” it said.

For now, the RD has a lock-in period till July 31, 2029, which falls in the year of the next Lok Sabha polls.

Under the scheme, eligible women will receive Rs 2,500 every month. Of this, Rs 1,500 will be credited to a recurring deposit account, while Rs 1,000 will be transferred through a Central Bank Digital Currency wallet linked to the beneficiary’s bank account, it mentioned.

Alternatively, beneficiaries can opt to have the entire Rs 2,500 credited every month to a recurring deposit account through the selected banking partner. The RD will have a lock-in period till July 31, 2029, and will earn interest at the prevailing rate, it said.

The Central Bank Digital Currency wallet will have spending restrictions and cannot be used to purchase items on the scheme’s negative list, including alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, lottery tickets, gambling and betting, it read.

In cases where Aadhaar authentication fails due to poor biometric quality or other reasons, beneficiaries can use iris or face authentication and Aadhaar-based OTP. Where these methods fail, benefits may be provided against a verified physical Aadhaar letter carrying a QR code, it said.

The Delhi government formally launched the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana on August 26, with the first monthly disbursements scheduled from September 1.

Around 4000 beneficiaries had received sanction letter on August 26 under the scheme.

The scheme provides Rs 2,500 per month to eligible women and aims to support up to 17 lakh beneficiaries across the national capital.

The applicant must be a woman aged between 21 and 60 years and the eldest female member of her family.

Only one woman per household can receive the benefit, while the family’s annual income must not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh.

The applicant, her husband or her parents must have resided in Delhi for at least 10 years. The applicant must also be a registered voter in Delhi to qualify for the monthly financial assistance under the scheme.

Income-tax payers, GST filers and government employees are excluded from the scheme. Families consuming more than 2,400 units of electricity annually or owning a four-wheeler are also not eligible for the benefit, as per the eligibility criteria of scheme.