Saini govt to walk the talk, roll out Lado-Lakshmi Yojana in Haryana soon

“The BJP made a promise to the sisters and mothers of Haryana ahead of last year’s Assembly polls. We have worked on the modalities and have sent it to the CM’s office. Saini will officially launch the scheme in the coming days,” Social Justice Minister Krishan Kumar Bedi said.

According to the draft policy, the scheme will be rolled out in four phases. Women falling below the poverty line (BPL) with an annual income of less than Rs 1.8 lakh, who number around 46 lakh, would be covered in the first phase. “The poorest of the poor, whose annual income is below Rs 1 lakh, may be given priority,” an official said.

Officials said assistance under the scheme, which has a budgetary allocation of Rs 5,000 crore, “may be increased” once the government finalises the actual number of beneficiaries.

Officials peg the number of women between the age groups 18 and 60 to be around 75 lakh, but said employed women and the almost 8.5 lakh women who already avail social security benefits like widow, destitute, retirement and abandonment pension are likely to be excluded from the scheme. “The eligibility criteria is yet to be finalised by the CM’s office,” sources said.

The Saini government’s initiative is in line with other BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, where the Ladli Behen Yojana and Ladki Bahin Yojana were rolled out respectively ahead of Assembly polls, and seemingly played a key role in bringing the party back to power.

Earlier this month, Saini too hinted that the scheme may be rolled out soon and said his government was coming up with a portal for eligible women to register themselves even as officials said that the portal will go live immediately after the CM makes an announcement.

Currently, the Haryana government implements schemes like the Aapki Beti, Humari Beti; Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao; Mukhyamantri Matrushakti Udyamita Yojana; Mahila Adhikarita Yojana; Kanyadaan scheme; and Drone Didi to cater to girl children, women entrepreneurs, widows, and women belonging to backward communities.

Women-centric cash assistance schemes in other states