CM Rekha Gupta Defends Three-Child Cap for Delhi Lakshmi Yojana
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday defended the three-child eligibility limit for beneficiaries of the Delhi government’s Lakshmi Yojana in the Assembly, asserting that the rule was introduced to protect women’s health. Under the welfare scheme, women aged 21 to 60 who have more than three children are not eligible to receive the monthly financial assistance of ₹2,500.
Ms. Gupta was responding in the House to criticism from Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who had questioned the three-child restriction. Addressing the Assembly, the Chief Minister said that decisions regarding family size rest entirely with individual families based on their own needs, rather than external influences. She stressed that no woman should be treated as a machine for giving birth and that safeguarding women's physical health remains her topmost priority.
The Chief Minister also rejected the argument that families should continue having children if they do not have a son, stating that the government in Delhi does not support such a narrow mindset. Explaining the medical reasoning behind the decision, she told the House that repeated pregnancies cause severe damage to a woman's body, which prompted the government to impose the three-child condition for the scheme.
Providing an update on the scheme’s progress, Ms. Gupta informed the Assembly that around 5.92 lakh registrations had been completed under the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana within just 10 days. She announced that registration will remain open until the government hits its overall target of covering 17 lakh eligible women across Delhi.
Attacking the opposition, the Chief Minister accused previous Congress and AAP governments of making grand promises without delivering actual financial aid to the women of Delhi. She also took aim at AAP legislators who raised the issue during the session but walked out before her response, noting that she had challenged them to remain in the House to listen to her reply.
Meanwhile, AAP MLA and former Minister Gopal Rai argued that the scheme was burdened with too many restrictions, claiming that only a small percentage of women would actually benefit. He urged the government to review and relax the eligibility conditions. Following the Assembly discussion, Bharatiya Janata Party workers staged protests outside the offices or residences of all 22 AAP MLAs who boycotted the debate.
