Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Delhi CM Defends Lakshmi Yojana Three-Child Cap: 'Women Not Machines'
The leader of Delhi, a big city in India, talked about a new plan called the Lakshmi Yojana that gives mothers money every month.
The plan gives women 2,500 rupees each month to help their families.
But there is a rule: families can join only if they have three children or fewer.
Some people think the rule is unfair, but the leader explained that having many babies can hurt a woman's body.
She said women are not machines for making babies, and her government cares a lot about women's health.
She also said the plan will not support families who keep having children just because they hope to get a son.
Many women have already signed up - about six lakh, which is 600,000.
The first payment is expected on August 28, a festival called Raksha Bandhan.
Some other political groups complained about these rules.
The leader said her government is keeping a promise that other parties never kept.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta defended the three-child cap for Lakshmi Yojana beneficiaries, saying women are 'not a machine for producing children.'
The scheme provides monthly financial aid of Rs 2,500 to women aged 21 to 60, with Rs 5,100 crore allocated for a first-phase target of 17 lakh beneficiaries.
About six lakh registrations were completed after the portal launched on August 1; the first instalment is expected on Raksha Bandhan, August 28.
Eligibility requires 10 years of Delhi residency and a recommendation from the local MP or MLA, and excludes households with annual power consumption exceeding 2,400 units.
Gupta attacked AAP and Congress over unfulfilled promises and alleged a Rs 30,000-crore scam and more than Rs 38,000 crore in power liabilities from AAP's tenure.
- Who
- Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with opposition parties AAP and Congress that criticized the scheme.
- What
- Gupta defended the three-child cap of the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, a monthly Rs 2,500 financial aid scheme for women aged 21 to 60, and attacked the opposition over its record on women's welfare.
- When
- Monday, on the second day of the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Delhi Assembly; the first instalment is expected on August 28 (Raksha Bandhan).
- Where
- The Delhi Assembly, in Delhi, the national Capital.
- Why
- Gupta says the cap protects women's health because repeated childbirth takes a serious toll, and she rejected opposition criticism of the eligibility rules.
Delhi Government (BJP)
Opposition (AAP and Congress)
Three-child eligibility cap
Delhi Government (BJP)
The cap protects women's health because repeated childbirth takes a serious toll on the body, and the government will not support a 'narrow' mindset of families pressuring women to have more children in hopes of a son.
Opposition (AAP and Congress)
AAP attacked the scheme and says the government wants to exclude most women in the Capital, raising concerns about the eligibility criteria during the Assembly session.
Past promises on women's aid
Delhi Government (BJP)
Gupta says Congress and AAP promised Rs 1,000 and then Rs 2,100 to women but never gave a single rupee, while her government is fulfilling its pledge with Rs 5,100 crore allocated.
Opposition (AAP and Congress)
AAP leaders walked out of the Assembly during Gupta's response, and the party argues the scheme's restrictive criteria leave out most women in Delhi.
- Scheme
- Delhi Lakshmi Yojana
- Monthly aid
- Rs 2,500
- Eligible women
- Aged 21 to 60
- Three-child cap
- Beneficiaries must have three or fewer children
- Other eligibility rules
- 10-year Delhi residency; recommendation from local MP or MLA; household power consumption under 2,400 units per year
- Target and budget
- 17 lakh beneficiaries in the first phase; Rs 5,100 crore allocated
- Registrations
- About 6 lakh since the portal launched on August 1
- First instalment
- Expected on Raksha Bandhan, August 28