AIDWA demands simplification of process for Lado Lakshmi Yojana

The Haryana chapter of All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has demanded that the application process for Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana be simplified to ensure that all eligible women can avail of the scheme.
Under the scheme, notified on September 25, women above 23 years of age with the family annual income not more than ₹1 lakh are eligible for monthly assistance of ₹2,100. It is also one of the poll promises of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a press statement, AIDWA State general secretary Usha Saroha alleged that a large number of eligible women were denied the opportunity due to a long list of documents required, making the process complicated. Citing the case of Fatehabad district, Ms. Saroha claimed that 95,000 women fell within the annual income bracket, but only 4,360 applications were received till October 27 and just 3,842 IDs were generated. “Those married for more than two decades are being asked to furnish the marriage registration certificates. Women living on rent are told to submit electricity bills and Aadhar details of their parents, and the birth and death certificates. They are forced to make rounds of government offices to get their documents verified,” she said.
Ms. Saroha demanded that the application process be simplified, errors in the Parivar Pehchan Patra (Family ID) be corrected, and the requirement of unnecessary documents be eliminated.

‘Sense of fear’

Press Secretary to Chief Minister, Praveen Attrey, said one of the reasons for the lukewarm response to the scheme was a sense of fear among the beneficiaries that their annual income would increase by ₹25,000, making them ineligible for ration cards for different income categories of the Below Poverty Line families. He, however, said the fear was unfounded and the government was trying to spread awareness among the eligible beneficiaries regarding this to maximise their participation.
Marking the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, Chief Minister Nayab Saini had launched the scheme at an event in Panchkula on September 25, saying that in the first phase, nearly 20 lakh women in Haryana would benefit.
The Opposition has demanded that the government extend the scheme to all women, as promised in the BJP’s manifesto, and not set any income limit for it.