Dhanlakshmi Yojana

What is Dhanlakshmi Yojana?

Dhanlakshmi Yojana was a monetary scheme that was launched by the Government of India in 2008. A Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) was given to improve the status of girls and women. It provided financial incentives to parents of girl children to ensure their education and well-being. 

The scheme was implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development through the Anganwadi system.

Present Status: The Dhanlakshmi Yojana was discontinued in 2018. However, the government has launched other schemes, such as the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana (BBBP) and the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY Scheme), to promote girls' education and empowerment.

Salient Features of Dhanlakshmi Yojana

The key features of Dhanlaxmi scheme for the girl child are as follows:

• The goal of the Dhanalakshmi Scheme is to prevent female infanticide and child marriage.

• It highlights the issue of child marriage issue, where girls get married off before age 18 years. This violates the Prevention of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006.

• The age limit for marriage under PCMA, 2006 are 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys.

• The Dhanlakshmi Scheme follows two-fold approach at launch:

  • Insurance Cover: Provided to combat female infanticide.

  • Education Support: Offered monetary incentives to promote girls' education.

• Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) administers cash transfers up to class 8.

• Ministry of Human Resources Development handles cash incentives from class 9 to class 12.

• Implementation is done by the state government's Department of Women and Child Development.

• The insurance part is managed by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).

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Objectives of Dhanlaxmi Yojana

The Dhanlaxmi Scheme for girl child holds the following main objectives to achieve its final goal of women empowerment:

1. Specific goals of the Dhan Lakshmi Yojana:

   • Provide monetary support and insurance until the girl child reaches adulthood and remain unmarried. 

   • Prevent female infanticide through life insurance coverage.

   • Address gender discrimination by offering financial incentives for raising female children.

   • Support girls' education, prevent child marriage, and cover medical expenses.

   • Empower girls with education for a brighter future.

2. Broader objectives of the Dhan Lakshmi program:

   • Change societal perceptions about girls from being seen as omens to valued family members.

   • Promote a mind-set that values the lives of girl children and sees them as assets, not liabilities.

   • Encourage girls to attend school, complete at least eight years of education, and delay marriage until the age of 18.

   • Empower women by providing financial independence and boosting self-esteem.

   • Eliminate the stigma associated with the birth of a girl and emphasize her equal importance within the family.

   • Equip girls with education to pursue job opportunities and build a promising future.

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Eligibility Criteria for Dhanlakshmi Yojana

To qualify for the Dhanalakshmi Scheme benefits you should fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

• All female children born after November 8, 2008, are eligible.

• It applies to every girl in a household, regardless of the number of girls.

• No consideration of a girl's financial or social background.

• The girl must be an Indian citizen and resident.

• All girl children, irrespective of their socio-economic status, are covered.

• The girl child should also be part of the immunization program.

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Implementation

The Dhanlaxmi Yojana was initially launched as a pilot project to cover the states most affected by the dual social scourge of female infanticide and child marriage. It mainly targeted the following category of areas:

• Low-income families received cash incentives to support the education and well-being of  girls.

• Implemented in states and blocks with lower Child Sex Ratios (CSR) compared to other regions in the country. 

The scheme was implemented in the following states and their respective districts and blocks, considered ripe for the experiment:

Benefits and Advantages of Dhanlaxmi Yojana

• Dhanlaxmi Yojana is an innovative program that uses Conditional Cash Transfers to provide money to low-income families under specific conditions.

• The primary goal is to offer short-term income support while encouraging long-term behavioural changes, focusing on healthcare and education to build human capital, especially for females.

• Dhanlaxmi Yojana offers Conditional Cash benefits to families, particularly mothers, when specific conditions are met. This approach effectively reaches economically disadvantaged groups.

• The program covers different life stages of the girl, including birth registration, immunization, primary and secondary school enrolment, with staggered cash transfers totalling approximately Rs. 13,500.

• When the girl reaches 18 years of age, she is insured for a maturity cover of Rs. 1 lakh.

The following table explains the monetary part of the Dhanlakshmi Yojana that is disbursed to the beneficiary:

Conclusion

Gender discrimination has plagued Indian society for ages. Girls are often unwelcome at birth, while boys are celebrated. This happens because girls are seen as burdens rather than assets. Those who are born face prejudice and a lack of access to education, opportunities, and may be forced into child marriage, suffer from sexual abuse, child trafficking, and domestic violence. To address this issue, the Dhanalakshmi Scheme was a programme by the central government for girls and their families.