Delhi Government is bringing a proposal to bring more economically deprived people under the Dilli Annashree Yojana. Under the revised guidelines, anyone with an income of less than a lakh per annum; who has not been getting ration under the public distribution scheme and is a resident of Delhi for the past three years will be eligible to get a cash-for-food subsidy of Rs 600.
The proposal is expected to be brought before the Cabinet meeting on Monday. The ruling Sheila Dikshit Government is banking on this scheme to woo voters in the forthcoming Assembly polls in Delhi to consolidate its votebank.
The Delhi Government is finding difficult to meet the target of two lakh vulnerable people who do not have ration cards in the Capital as a number of them had shifted base. So far 97,000 beneficiaries have been identified by the department till date.
Under the Annashree Scheme, launched in December last year, a monthly cash subsidy of `600 is being transferred directly into Aadhaar-linked bank account of the senior most woman in a poor family that doesn’t get subsidised foodgrains. All beneficiaries who enrolled themselves under the scheme will get monetary benefits from April 1, 2012.
Initially it was estimated that out of 5,74,428 vulnerable and most vulnerable households found in the survey of Mission Convergence, at least two lakh household would be eligible and would be covered under the scheme. But it was found that a large number of these households could not be traced due to incomplete address, migration back to their home State, change of address and only 70,545 households identified.
Vulnerable persons identified through a survey undertaken by Mission Convergence, widows and people referred by the area MlA were earlier eligible for the cash subsidy.
According to draft proposal, to meet the target of two lakh most vulnerable people, the Government may include 55,955 homeless people, identified by Mother NGO St Stephens’ hospital in 2010. No income criteria will be applicable to this category.
It also proposes to include in Annashree Scheme to those residing in resettlement colonies having plot size of less than 25 yards and having income less than one lakh per annum. According to draft proposal, the department has proposed to include victims of crime against women.