Delhi government uses fixed deposits for Lakshmi Yojana due to technical snags
Only 53 women have received payments through CBDC wallets nearly three months after the flagship scheme was launched.
The Delhi government has decided to deposit the full monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 into fixed deposits until January 2027 because the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) wallet route has faced technical and operational hurdles, according to The Indian Express.
The Lakshmi Yojana, which was launched on August 26, provides eligible women from low-income households with monthly financial assistance. Under the original scheme, beneficiaries could choose to receive Rs 1,000 in a CBDC wallet and Rs 1,500 in a recurring or fixed deposit, or receive the full Rs 2,500 in a deposit account.
Official sources told The Indian Express that only 53 women have received money in their CBDC wallets. Fixed deposits have been created for 4,488 beneficiaries, bringing the total number of beneficiaries with processed payments to 4,541.
The Women and Child Development (WCD) Department and the Revenue Department confirmed that technical issues delayed transfers to digital wallets. Beneficiaries in five districts reported that they had not received funds despite having activated wallets linked to their bank accounts.
The government also acknowledged that the previous tendering process to engage a Project Management Unit (PMU) for the scheme could not be concluded. A fresh tendering process is now being undertaken, and temporary manpower is being engaged to assist with application scrutiny and verification.
A total of 39,274 applications have been approved over the last three months. For 34,786 fresh applications approved last month, sanction orders are expected to be issued by Friday, with the full Rs 2,500 to be deposited in fixed deposits.