Chandigarh, Jan 1 (NationPress) The Haryana Cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, convened on Thursday to endorse crucial amendments to the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana of 2025, aimed at bolstering women's financial empowerment and encouraging long-term savings.

According to the proposed amendments, each eligible woman will continue to receive a monthly benefit of Rs 2,100. However, starting from the second month, the assistance will be disbursed in two segments: Rs 1,100 will be transferred directly to the beneficiary's savings bank account, while Rs 1,000 will be placed into a government-managed recurring deposit (RD) or fixed deposit (FD) account.

The total amount, inclusive of interest, will be paid out to the beneficiary upon maturity. The duration for the RD and FD will be set by the government and will not exceed five years.

Furthermore, the amendments include the integration of social development-related eligibility criteria. In addition to income-based qualifications, mothers whose children enrolled in government schools have excelled academically—achieving over 80% marks in Class 10 or 12 Board examinations or demonstrating grade-level competency under the NIPUN Bharat Mission for Classes 1 to 4—will be deemed eligible.

Likewise, mothers who have effectively rehabilitated their children from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) or Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM), as validated by the Women and Child Development Department, will also qualify for the scheme.

The existing eligibility criteria concerning age and domicile will remain unchanged, while the income threshold for this new criterion will be raised to Rs 1.8 lakh as per FIDR.

In alignment with the objectives of Viksit Bharat regarding socio-economic development and family size, mothers with more than three children will be ineligible under this category.

To foster transparency and community involvement, the proposed amendments also entail the verification of beneficiaries through local self-governance institutions.

Following initial verification, the beneficiary list will be shared with relevant Gram Sabhas in rural regions and area sabhas or ward committees in urban settings for community-level validation.

Should any beneficiary be found ineligible or not genuine during the validation process, their financial support will be terminated.

It is noteworthy that the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana was inaugurated on September 25, 2025, to enhance women's social security within the state. Within two months of its inception, approximately 10 lakh women registered for the program, highlighting its widespread acceptance.

The proposed amendments are designed to transform the scheme from a cash assistance program into a comprehensive, outcome-driven initiative that aligns with the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Additionally, the Cabinet sanctioned a compassionate appointment for Santosh Kumari, the widow of the late Sandeep Kumar Lather, an Assistant Sub Inspector of police, as a special, one-time measure. Kumari will be appointed as a PGT Mathematics (Group-B) in the Campus School, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.