'Women Not Machine For Producing Babies': Delhi CM Rekha Gupta Backs 3-Child Cap For Lakshmi Yojna

Published 11 August 2026 · local

News india 'Women Not Machine For Producing Babies': Delhi CM Rekha Gupta Backs 3-Child Cap For Lakshmi Yojna 'Women Not Machine For Producing Babies': Delhi

News india 'Women Not Machine For Producing Babies': Delhi CM Rekha Gupta Backs 3-Child Cap For Lakshmi Yojna 'Women Not Machine For Producing Babies': Delhi CM Rekha Gupta Backs 3-Child Cap For Lakshmi Yojna Published By, Last Updated: August 11, 2026, 07:04 IST Delhi CM Rekha Gupta targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, alleging that they failed to address women's concerns during their respective regimes Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta | File image credit: PTI Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday backed the three-child cap for beneficiaries of the Lakshmi Yojna, saying that women are not merely a “machine for producing children". She also targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, alleging that they failed to address women’s concerns during their respective regimes. Gupta, the first BJP-led Chief Minister of Delhi in nearly three decades, was addressing the Assembly on the second day of the ongoing Monsoon Session.

“If people want to expand their family, they are not going to stop because Rekha Gupta or (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat said so… Families plan according to their circumstances and needs. But … no woman is merely a machine for producing children. Her health is extremely important to us", she said, according to The Indian Express. Pointing out that many families pressure women into having multiple children in the hope of having a son, the Chief Minister said that her government was against this narrow mindset. “The entire world knows and the medical fraternity says that if a woman repeatedly gives birth, it takes a serious toll on her body. My priority is the health of women. That is why I have included the three-child condition," she told the House. ‘Rule Applies To Women From All Religions’ CM Rekha Gupta underlined that there was no discrimination in extending benefits of the scheme to women, saying: “There is no discrimination.

The rule applies to women from all religions or sections of the society…" The Indian Express reported. The Chief Minister told the House that the government had allocated Rs 5,100 crore for the scheme, setting a target of 17 lakh beneficiaries. She stated that the registration will continue till they reach that figure. “Over a period of three years — the first phase of the scheme — 17 lakh women will avail the benefit. And if there is a need to expand it thereafter, we won’t hesitate to do so…," CM Gupta said. About ‘Lakshmi Yojna’ Under the ‘Lakshmi Yojna’, the Delhi Government intends to provide women aged 21 to 60 a monthly financial aid of Rs 2,500. However, women with more than three children are not eligible to receive the benefit. In addition, households with an annual power consumption over 2,400 units will also be excluded.