Delhi Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana: Women to get ₹1,000 a month, says CM Atishi; check eligibility, other details

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi recently announced the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana that will provide financial aid for women. The scheme aims to provide monthly financial assistance of ₹1,000 to women above 18 years of age.

The registration for the scheme will begin in the next seven to 10 days as the state government is still working on it, Atishi said at a press briefing on December 13.

Who is eligible for this scheme?

The Delhi CM clarified that every woman who is a resident and a registered voter in the capital can avail of this scheme. However, women falling under certain categories are exempted. The exempted category includes:

1. Permanent government employees of the Centre, State or MCD who are currently working or previously served.
2. MP, MLA and Councillor.
3. Any woman who paid income tax in the last assessment cycle.
4. Women who are already receiving pensions under various Delhi government pension schemes including old age pension, widow pension, or disability pension.

In terms of income criteria, the government will exclude women who pay income tax. The scheme intentionally avoids accounting for family income as it does not show if a woman is financially independent or not.

The scheme's budget is ₹2,000 crore. The government expects to provide one or two instalments of fundsbefore the end of the current financial year (FY25).

According to the Delhi government, the scheme is expected to target a large portion of female population, which is nearly 45-50 lakh women, almost 80 per cent of voters who may be eligible for the scheme.

Atishi announced this scheme months before the Delhi assembly elections. On Thursday, the former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal promised that the assistance amount would be increased from ₹1,000 to ₹2,100 if the Aam Aadmi Party came back to power. The Delhi assembly elections are scheduled to be conducted in 2025.