Women not ‘machines for producing children’: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday defended the three-child eligibility cap under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, saying the condition was aimed at protecting women’s health and discouraging families from repeatedly having children in the hope of a son.

Replying to a discussion on the scheme during the second day of the monsoon session, Gupta said: “No woman is merely a machine for producing children. Her health is extremely important to us.”

The Chief Minister said people would not stop expanding their families merely because of the government’s policy, but added that family planning should be based on individual circumstances.

“If people want to expand their family, they are not going to stop because Rekha Gupta or (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat said so. Families plan according to their circumstances and needs,” she said.

Gupta said repeated pregnancies could have a serious impact on women’s health and argued that the government would not encourage a mindset in which families continued having children in the hope of having a son.

“There is no discrimination. The rule applies to women from all religions or sections of society,” she said.

Under the scheme, women aged between 21 and 60 years will receive financial assistance of Rs 2,500 per month. Women with more than three children are not eligible, while households with annual power consumption exceeding 2,400 units are also excluded.

The Chief Minister hit out at the AAP and Congress over their criticism of the scheme, accusing previous governments of making promises to women without providing financial assistance. She said the previous AAP government had promised Rs 1,000 and later Rs 2,100 to women but had not disbursed the amount.

The Chief Minister also criticised Opposition members for walking out of the House during her reply and questioned their claims of concern for women’s dignity and safety.

Gupta further criticised the Punjab government’s proposed financial assistance scheme for women, alleging that funds meant for the welfare of construction workers had been used for the proposed payments. She also questioned the timing of the announcement, claiming it had been made ahead of elections.

Remove conditions: AAP

AAP MLA and former Delhi minister Gopal Rai on Monday demanded that the BJP Government remove what he termed the “maze of conditions” from the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana and extend its benefit to all economically weaker women eligible under the scheme.

Participating in the Assembly discussion on the scheme, Rai said conditions such as having no more than three children and providing proof of 10 years of residence in Delhi had excluded a large number of families from the scheme.

He questioned the government’s decision to impose additional eligibility conditions when it had publicly announced that the scheme would benefit economically weaker women.

Rai said the government should consider retaining only an annual income criterion of Rs 2.5 lakh and a condition relating to ownership of a car so that a larger number of needy women could benefit.