Delhi Laxmi Yojana: You will receive ₹2,500 only upon the recommendation of an MLA or MP..

Accessing the ₹2,500 monthly benefit under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana in the national capital is proving to be more difficult than it initially appeared. Simply filling out an online form will not result in the money being credited to your account; in addition to meeting other criteria, applicants must obtain a recommendation letter from their local MLA or MP. A *Hindustan Times* report indicates that submitting this recommendation letter is mandatory to avail the scheme's benefits. Your application will not proceed without the 'green signal' from these elected representatives. There are 70 MLAs in Delhi—48 from the BJP and the rest from the Aam Aadmi Party—along with 7 MPs; all of them are authorized to sign the Lakshmi Yojana forms.

A specific column requiring the signature of an MLA or MP has been added to the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana form. This provision aims to ensure transparency and involve elected representatives in the process. Defending the move, Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood stated that MLAs from any political party can verify the documents. He noted that similar procedures are adopted in welfare schemes by most state governments and that this requirement poses no practical difficulty.

**Apprehension of a Shrinking Beneficiary Base**

Initially, the government aimed to benefit 1.7 million (17 lakh) women through the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana. However, there are concerns that the pool of beneficiaries may shrink due to the mandatory recommendation requirement. Advocate Paras Tyagi, founder and president of the Centre for Youth Culture, Law and Environment (CYCLE), stated that making MP or MLA recommendations mandatory would severely restrict the approval process for applications. Under the scheme, the ₹2,500 benefit is structured such that ₹1,500 is deposited directly into the eligible woman's Recurring Deposit (RD) account, while the remaining ₹1,000 is credited to her bank account monthly.

**Which women are eligible for the benefit?** Under the Delhi Laxmi Yojana, a monthly amount of ₹2,500 will be provided to the eldest woman (aged 21 to 60 years) of a family with a total annual income of less than ₹2.5 lakh. The beneficiary—or her husband or parents—must have been a resident of Delhi for at least 10 years. Women with more than three children are ineligible to apply for this scheme. Applicants are required to submit an Aadhaar card, Voter ID card, passport-sized photograph, signature, proof of residence, and proof of age when applying for the scheme.

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