Delhi CM Rekha Gupta defends three-child cap in Lakshmi Yojana, says women's health is priority

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday defended the three-child limit for beneficiaries of the Delhi government's Lakshmi Yojana, stating that the condition was designed to protect women's health and that family size decisions should rest with individuals.

Under the scheme, women aged 21 to 60 with more than three children are not eligible for the monthly assistance of ₹2,500. Ms. Gupta was responding to criticism from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who questioned the condition while citing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's remarks that Hindus should have as many children as possible.

“If a family wants to expand, it will not stop after listening to Rekha Gupta. Nor will it expand if Mohan Bhagwat says so. People make decisions about family planning according to their own needs,” Ms. Gupta said in the Assembly.

“But no woman is a machine for giving birth to children. Her health is extremely important to us,” she added. Ms. Gupta also rejected the view that women should have more children if a family does not have a son. “This BJP government in Delhi does not support this narrow mindset,” she said.

“My topmost priority is the health of my sisters. The entire world knows and the medical world says how a woman's body is destroyed due to repeated pregnancies. That is why I have imposed the condition of three children in the scheme,” she said.

Ms. Gupta also accused the previous Congress and AAP governments of making promises without providing financial assistance to women under such a scheme. “There were many promises and big claims, but not a single rupee was ever given to Delhi's women under such a scheme,” she said.

She criticised AAP MLAs who raised the issue in the House but did not stay for her response, saying she had challenged them to remain in the Assembly and listen to her reply. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party workers protested outside the residences or offices of all 22 AAP MLAs who boycotted the discussion on the Lakshmi Yojana in the Assembly.

Later in the Assembly, Ms. Gupta said registration for the scheme would continue until all eligible women were covered. “Around 5.92 lakh registrations have already been done under the scheme in just 10 days. Our target is 17 lakh women. We will not stop registration until we reach that figure,” she said.

AAP MLA and former Minister Gopal Rai said the scheme had too many restrictions and that only a small percentage of women would benefit from it. He urged the government to reconsider the eligibility conditions.