"No one will get benefit": AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj attacks Delhi govt over Lakshmi Yojana eligibility criteria

Addressing a press conference, Bhardwaj claimed that the eligibility criteria for the scheme, which promises Rs 2,500 per month to eligible women in the national capital, had been finalised by the Delhi Cabinet.

"It has been reported in many places that the Delhi Cabinet, meaning the Delhi ministers collectively, discussed and finalised the criteria regarding which women in Delhi would receive the Rs 2,500 allowance. It was the ministers who decided this, not the officials," he said.

He further claimed that the conditions for eligibility make it so almost no women receive the allowance, accusing the top leadership of having "malicious" intent.

"Before the Delhi elections, everyone, from the Prime Minister and the BJP National President to BJP spokespersons and leaders, was claiming that every woman in Delhi would be given Rs 2,500 per month. But what is the BJP doing now? They have imposed so many conditions that practically no one will receive it. I do not believe they intend to give it to anyone at all; their intentions are truly malicious," he said.

Bhardwaj's remarks come just after the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) put out a statement hailing the approval of the scheme as the fulfilment of a long-standing commitment.

The CMO on X said, "Under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, a commitment was made to ensure monthly financial assistance of 2,500 for every eligible woman in Delhi. The Delhi Government gave concrete shape to that commitment through a budgetary allocation of 5,100 crore. With the approval of the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, the promise now stands fulfilled."

The scheme is going to commence from August 1, according to the CMO. "With 2,500 every month through Direct Benefit Transfer, the scheme reflects the Delhi Government's belief that the progress of Nari Shakti is the truest measure of Delhi's progress," it said on X. (ANI)