3-children cap, spending curbs: How Delhi cash scheme for women is different

4 min readJul 29, 2026 01:05 PM IST Like in many other states, the monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 to women was among the BJP’s top promises in the run-up to the Delhi polls last year. But the cabinet nod to the scheme on Tuesday showed how the Delhi scheme differs from similar Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) initiatives in other BJP-ruled states. The Delhi Lakshmi Yojana comes with a long list of eligibility conditions and spending curbs. Among them is a family-size criterion – women with more than three living children will not be eligible for the scheme. According to the government, the scheme is expected to benefit around 17 lakh women in Delhi, but it has not disclosed how many potential beneficiaries would be excluded due to this cap.The scheme differs from conventional cash transfer pr