3 min readNew DelhiApr 24, 2025 04:46 AM IST
First published on: Apr 24, 2025 at 04:46 AM IST
As part of an ongoing verification process, the Women and Child Development (WCD) department has identified around 25,000 ineligible women receiving financial assistance under Delhi Pension Scheme to Women in Distress, said officials.
Under the scheme, the government provides a monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 to widows, as well as divorced, separated, abandoned, deserted, and destitute women who are 18 years old and above. Around 3.5 lakh beneficiaries are currently registered under the scheme, said officials.
The department had started the process last October to check for duplicity and verify the eligibility criteria of beneficiaries. “The drive was started to ensure that only eligible women from poor families, especially those who genuinely need the money, avail the financial assistance,” said an official.
Officials said that so far, around 60% of the beneficiaries have been verified and the process is ongoing. “During the verification process, we found around 25,000 women who did not meet the criteria and were availing the scheme illegally. They have now been removed from the list of beneficiaries,” the official added.
“This is one of the reasons why there has been a delay in disbursing money under this scheme for the last two months. The department has now released the money to three districts and funds will be released to the remaining in a few days following the verification process,” said the official.
The AAP has accused the BJP government of halting the payment of pension under the scheme and demanded that
the money be released immediately.
Speaking to mediapersons on Tuesday, AAP Delhi convenor Saurabh Bharadwaj has said, “It has been over two months since the BJP government took over the administration in Delhi, yet the most vulnerable sections of society – particularly destitute women – are being neglected. These include widows, women abandoned by their families, or those who are otherwise helpless. Their pension has not been released for the last two months.”
He alleged that he has received information that the government intends to discontinue the scheme. “If you stop a widow’s pension, how is she expected to run her home or manage her basic needs? It will become nearly impossible for her to survive…,” he said.
The scheme was launched in 2010 with women in the 18 to 60 age group scheduled to get a financial assistance of Rs 1,500. In 2017, the eligibility criteria was changed.
Now, an adult beneficiary receives Rs 2,500 for her whole life. In its March Budget, the Delhi BJP government had allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the scheme.
The financial assistance is transferred directly to the beneficiary on a monthly basis through Electronic Clearing Service (ECS) under Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
Now, an adult beneficiary receives Rs 2,500 for her whole life. In its March Budget, the Delhi BJP government had allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the scheme.
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