Haryana Govt to review Lado Lakshmi Yojana eligibility after Opposition’s criticism
SEWA Department asked to examine initial rollout, application process
Amid Opposition's criticism over the “conditions” attached to eligibility under the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana, the Nayab Singh Saini-led Haryana Government has directed the Social Justice & Empowerment Department and the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes (SEWA) Department to review the scheme’s initial implementation to ensure that no eligible beneficiary is left out.
The Opposition has accused the government of introducing a “complicated” application process and restrictive parameters in a scheme aimed at empowering women.
Speaking to ‘The Tribune, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said feedback emerging from the ground during implementation was important for course correction. “It is true that suggestions emerging at the grassroots level during the implementation of any scheme help in guiding future improvements. Keeping this spirit of reform in mind, the government has directed the SEWA Department to conduct a detailed review of the initial implementation phase, the applications received, and the feedback from various sections of society. If it is found that any criterion is depriving genuinely needy beneficiaries, the government will not hesitate to revisit and revise it,” he said.
At present, around 8.5 lakh women with an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh are receiving Rs 2,100 per month under the scheme. The government has now extended the benefit to an additional 1.20 lakh women under three new categories, with the income threshold raised to Rs 1.80 lakh for these beneficiaries.
Explaining the rationale behind the expanded eligibility, Additional Chief Secretary (SEWA) G Anupama said the scheme was designed to link social assistance with broader social development goals. “This is one-of-its-kind scheme where we have worked on aligning a social assistance programme with social development goals and we want to reward the mother who is at the centre of the change we want to see,” she said.
Detailing the new categories, she said: “The first category of mothers we want to reward are those whose children, studying in government schools, secure more than 80% marks in Class 10 and Class 12 examinations. Mothers whose children achieve grade-level proficiency under the NIPUN Mission and mothers whose children, earlier malnourished or anaemic under the Poshan Tracker, have moved to the Green Zone.”
Addressing the criticism, the Chief Minister said the eligibility criteria had been framed after careful consideration of ground realities, past experience and the socio-economic profile of beneficiaries, while also factoring in the state’s financial resources. The aim, he stressed, was to ensure that benefits reached genuinely deserving sections in a transparent manner.
Though the BJP government had promised Rs 2,100 per month to all women in Haryana, eligibility conditions were laid down when the scheme was launched last year. Under the scheme, women aged 23 to 60 years, with a domicile of Haryana and an annual income below Rs 1 lakh, were made eligible.
Based on Parivar Pehchan Patra data, the potential beneficiary pool was estimated at nearly 10 lakh women. While the department has reached out to beneficiaries through SMS alerts, so far only 8.5 lakh women have enrolled and been found eligible.
Despite simplification of the application process, the Opposition continues to allege that it remains “complicated”, an issue the government will now examine during the review.
