Karnataka's Bhagyalakshmi scheme benefit eludes 2 lakh families

Kalaburagi: None of 2.36 lakh beneficiaries of the Bhagyalakshmi scheme, launched in 2006 and aimed at promoting the birth of girl children in families below the poverty line, are able to get the maturity amount though they turned 18 in March 2024.

Beneficiaries are reportedly struggling to produce nine documents required by the Women and Child Welfare Department. 

Many families, lacking proper awareness of this requirement, are struggling to obtain the necessary records, including vaccination cards and sterilisation cards, which are a prerequisite under the scheme.

An estimated 34 lakh applications have been registered under the scheme since its inception. Under the scheme, Rs 10,000 is deposited in the name of a girl child born after April 2006, with a maturity amount of Rs 32,351 to be provided after she attains 18 years of age. 

The scheme, launched by the JD(S)-BJP coalition government, was instituted to improve the sex ratio by encouraging the birth of girls in BPL families and was the first of its kind in India. It also attempted to address child labour, female foeticide, child marriage and child trafficking.

The scheme has been replicated by several other states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and also the Union government which has launched the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao in 2015. 

Families are also ineligible if they have more than three children.

"I registered my second daughter under the scheme and obtained an insurance bond. I submitted her birth certificate, marks card and other documents when requested by the Women and Child Welfare Department. However, they did not inform me that parents with more than three children are ineligible for the scheme. Several beneficiaries in our village have also lost important documents," said Hussain Badshah, a resident of Balawad village in Kalaburagi taluk, who has five children.

Under the scheme, the first two female children born to BPL families are eligible to receive financial support. 

To qualify for the maturity amount, the girl should not have engaged in child labour and must have completed at least the eighth standard. Additionally, she must not have been married before turning 18. 

In Kalaburagi, officials have managed to collect documents from only 40 families out of 400 eligible beneficiaries. They are gathering documents with the help of child development project officers and Anganwadi workers from a total of 6,269 beneficiaries eligible for maturity claims in the district since April. However, many beneficiaries lack essential documents, such as birth certificates, Bhagyalakshmi bonds and sterilisation cards.

Many families registered under the scheme may be deprived of its benefits due to these numerous conditions.

Meanwhile, officials stated that the process of creating fields in the software, as required by Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), for depositing the matured amount, is underway. "LIC authorities have provided specific guidance to district-level officials for document collection. We have to make an online entry after physical verification of the documents. Families have up to two years to claim the maturity amount if they are eligible, as many families have migrated to other states for livelihood," said Pushpa Rayar, Joint Director of the Women and Child Welfare Department.