Laadli Laxmi Scheme

What is the Laadli Laxmi Scheme?

Laadli Laxmi Scheme is a flagship programme of the Government of Goa, launched on 6 July 2012 and run by the Directorate of Women and Child Development. The Directorate states the scheme's intention plainly: to address the undesirable tendency of female foeticide, and to erase the general perception that the birth of a girl is a burden on her parents or guardian at the time of her marriage.

The scheme's answer to that perception is direct. It puts Rs 1.00 lakh at the girl's own disposal; either as a fixed deposit in her name when she turns 18, or as cash at her marriage. The design point that is often missed is that the 18-year benefit is not tied to marriage at all. A girl who claims at 18 holds the money as a deposit she can draw on for her studies or her business, which is close to the opposite of a dowry payment.

Locally the scheme is known by its transliterated name, Ladli Laxmi Yojana.

How much does Laadli Laxmi pay, and in what form?

The financial assistance is Rs 1.00 lakh, paid in one of two ways depending on which category the beneficiary falls into:

On attaining the age of 18 years, the amount is paid by means of a bank fixed deposit held jointly in the name of the Director of Women and Child Development and the applicant girl. The joint holding is a protection: it stops the money being taken out of the girl's hands by anyone else.

On the occasion of her marriage. The amount is paid in cash through the bank. This category applied to girls between 19 and 40 years of age up to 31 March 2016, and was extended to 45 years prospectively with effect from 1 April 2016.

A beneficiary who holds the fixed deposit is allowed to withdraw the amount for her use in business or profession, or for her further studies. That permission is what turns the deposit from a locked instrument into working capital or a tuition fund.

The scheme is implemented through branches of the State Bank of India, Bank of India and HDFC Bank.

Who is eligible for the Laadli Laxmi Scheme?

The scheme sets two parallel eligibility routes; one for girls born in Goa and one for girls born outside Goa.

A girl born in Goa can apply if she is:

• Born in the State of Goa;
• A resident of Goa for the last fifteen years; and
• Either at least one of her parents is born in Goa and is also a resident of Goa for the last fifteen years, or one of her parents has been residing in Goa for the last twenty-five years;
• And whose parental income does not exceed Rs 3.00 lakh per annum.

A girl born outside Goa can apply if she is:

• A resident of Goa for the last fifteen years;
• Educated in Goa; and
• Either at least one of her parents is born in Goa and is also a resident of Goa for the last fifteen years, or one of her parents has been residing in Goa for the last twenty-five years;
• And whose parental income does not exceed Rs 3.00 lakh per annum.

You cannot apply if:

• The girl has not been a resident of Goa for the last fifteen years.
• Neither parent satisfies either the born-in-Goa-plus-15-years test or the 25-years-residence test.
• Parental income exceeds Rs 3.00 lakh per annum as certified by the competent authority.
• The girl was born outside Goa and was not educated in Goa.
• The claim on marriage is made outside the prescribed age window.

The scheme carries no caste restriction and no BPL requirement beyond the Rs 3.00 lakh income ceiling.

What documents are required?

1. Self-certified copy of the birth certificate of the applicant.
2. Residence certificate of the applicant. In lieu, the previous school leaving certificate together with the current bonafide student certificate from the recognised institution where the girl is studying is accepted. For a girl who discontinued education at school level, the gap from discontinuation until 18 years or marriage must be proved by a residence certificate. For graduates, the Xth, XIIth and graduation certificates are adequate evidence.
3. Self-certified copy of the Aadhaar card.
4. Self-certified copy of the Civil Marriage Registration Certificate, for a marriage claim, which may also include the first registration certificate.
5. Self-certified copy of the 15-year or 25-year residence certificate of one parent, as applicable. In lieu, documentary evidence of residence for the period is accepted, including land records such as tenancy rights, mundcarial rights or occupancy rights, an employment certificate, or any record to the satisfaction of the Committee.
6. Self-certified copy of the birth certificate of one parent. Where no birth certificate exists, the scheme accepts a baptism certificate, the parent's school leaving certificate, any document establishing that a grandparent of the girl lived in Goa around the claimed date of birth, or any other record establishing the parent's date of birth.
7. Self-declaration of the applicant.
8. Pre-receipt with revenue stamp, in duplicate, as prescribed.
9. Annual income certificate of the parents issued by the competent authority.

The alternatives permitted at items 2, 5 and 6 are the most practically useful part of the scheme's rules. Families that cannot produce a formal residence certificate for a parent are not shut out: Goan land records showing mundcarial or tenancy rights, or an employment certificate, will do.

How to apply for the Laadli Laxmi Scheme

1. Obtain the prescribed application form from the Directorate of Women and Child Development against payment of Rs 100.
2. Collect the applicant's documents — birth certificate, residence certificate or the accepted school and bonafide certificates in lieu, and the Aadhaar card.
3. Collect the parent's documents, the 15-year or 25-year residence certificate or an accepted alternative, the parent's birth certificate or an accepted alternative, and the annual income certificate from the competent authority.
4. Add the marriage documents if you are claiming on the occasion of marriage, the Civil Marriage Registration Certificate, and the first registration certificate where relevant.
5. Complete the form, sign the self-declaration, and prepare the pre-receipt with revenue stamp in duplicate.
6. Submit the application, complete in all respects with self-certified copies, to the Director of Women and Child Development, Panaji-Goa, at the Directorate's office on the Second Floor, Old Education Department Building, 18th June Road, Panaji, Goa 403001.
7. Collect the acknowledgement and check progress at the District Office level, where application status is tracked.

How is the money paid and how do I check my status?

Application status is checked at the District Office level, and approved funds are transferred to the beneficiary's bank account.

For an age-18 beneficiary, the money is placed as a joint fixed deposit with the Director of Women and Child Development. For a marriage beneficiary, it is paid as cash through the bank. Either way the account is with the State Bank of India, Bank of India or HDFC Bank, through whose branches the scheme is implemented.

Applications are considered by a Committee, which is the authority referred to in the rules for accepting alternative proofs of parental residence.

Why do Laadli Laxmi applications get rejected?

• Parental income certificate exceeding Rs 3.00 lakh, or issued by an authority other than the competent authority.
• Fifteen-year residence of the girl not established, particularly where education was discontinued and the gap period is not covered by a residence certificate.
• Neither parent qualifying under the born-in-Goa-plus-15-years test or the 25-year residence test.
• Parent's birth certificate not produced and no accepted alternative offered.
• Marriage claim outside the age window of 19 to 45 years.
• Girl born outside Goa without evidence of education in Goa.
• Pre-receipt not submitted in duplicate or without the revenue stamp. A small omission that returns files routinely.

Where do I complain?

Grievances go to the Directorate of Women and Child Development, Government of Goa, Second Floor, Old Education Department Building, 18th June Road, Panaji, Goa 403001, and to the District Office where the application is being processed.

The Government of Goa's public grievance registration route at goaonline.gov.in is the escalation path where the Directorate's response is unsatisfactory.

Practical points

• Claim at 18 if you can. The 18-year route gives the girl a deposit in her own joint name, which she may withdraw for studies or business, a materially better outcome than waiting to receive cash at marriage.
• Start the parent's residence proof early. This is the document that delays most files. If a formal certificate is difficult, look at the family's land records for mundcarial, tenancy or occupancy rights, which the scheme accepts.
• Keep school records. A school leaving certificate plus a current bonafide student certificate substitutes for the girl's residence certificate, and for a graduate the Xth, XIIth and degree certificates are enough.
• The Rs 100 form charge is the only prescribed payment. No agent is entitled to a fee for getting an application sanctioned.
• A girl who has taken the deposit at 18 should not expect a second payment at marriage. The scheme provides Rs 1.00 lakh, in one of two forms, not both.