
NEW DELHI: The Women and Child Development (WCD) Department of the Delhi government has launched a targeted initiative to ensure girl children enrolled in the Ladli Yojana, a flagship financial assistance scheme, receive their dues.
The campaign focuses on tracing beneficiaries who have either not claimed their payments or failed to renew their applications.
Introduced on January 1, 2008, the Ladli Yojana aims to uplift girl children born in the national capital by offering term deposits at key milestones. These include Rs 11,000 for hospital births, Rs 10,000 for home births, and Rs 5,000 upon enrollment in classes one, two, six, nine, and ten.
A WCD department official revealed that nearly 1.86 lakh individuals enrolled in the scheme did not claim the benefits, while 1.66 lakh applicants either dropped out of school or did not renew their registration.
“Many children change districts for schooling but do not renew their registration under the scheme, often due to a lack of awareness. Others discontinue their education midway, further complicating the renewal process,” the official said.
In response, officials across Delhi’s 11 districts have been directed to compile annual reports identifying beneficiaries who have not renewed their applications. These reports will be shared with schools to locate the students.
“If the students are found, their renewals will be processed. If not, the lists will be shared with other districts for further tracking and coordination with schools,” the official added.
The initiative also involves centralising operations through the Ladli branch headquarters, which will reconcile reports, monitor fund utilisation, and manage financial adjustments such as budget allocations and unutilised fund surrenders.
The campaign coincides with a growing number of beneficiaries under the scheme. In 2022-23, 64,408 girls were added, with the figure increasing to 72,425 in 2023-24. Officials hope the drive will ensure that the scheme’s benefits reach every eligible girl child in Delhi.