Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Monday stressed that women’s health and financial empowerment were top priorities for the government and that women should not be treated merely as “machines for giving birth to children” as she hit back at criticism from the opposition over its eligibility conditions.
Political Context
Gupta was responding to allegations by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that the scheme’s impact would be limited by a condition excluding women with more than three children. She also opposed the practice of repeatedly expanding families in the hope of having a male child, stressing that women’s health could not be compromised in the process. Gupta also defended the government’s position on women from neighbouring states using Delhi government facilities. Gupta defended the government’s proposed bicycle scheme for girls, rejecting criticism that it was linked to electoral politics.
AAP leader and former Delhi minister Gopal Rai also questioned the requirement for women to prove that they had been living in Delhi for 10 years, and said the registration process was tedious. The Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, under which eligible women aged 21 to 60 will receive ₹2,500 a month, is among the biggest welfare initiatives of the BJP-led Delhi government, Gupta said. She said the scheme had been allocated ₹5,100 crore and would benefit around 1.7 million women. 592,406 registrations had been completed since the portal was launched on August 1, according to the chief minister. Delhi IT minister Pankaj Kumar Singh introduced the Delhi (Right of Citizens to Time Bound and Ease of Delivery of Services) Bill, 2026, in the assembly. The proposed law seeks to replace the 2011 legislation and give citizens a legal right to receive notified government services within prescribed timelines. Officials may face penalties of ₹250 a day, up to ₹5,000, for unjustified delays or wrongful rejection.
Addressing the criticism, Gupta said family planning was a personal choice and did not require anyone’s permission. Referring to Saheli Pink Smart Cards, which provide free travel to Delhi women and transgender residents on DTC and cluster buses, she said taxpayers’ money should primarily benefit Delhi residents. She said the initiative was intended to help girls travel to school, continue their education and reduce drop-out rates.
