New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) After Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched the government's flagship 'Delhi Lakshmi Yojana' on Saturday, the BJP said that the scheme aims to empower women. The women who got themselves registered on the first day expressed their gratitude to the government for providing "financial security".The portal for the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, under which eligible women will receive a monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500, went live on Saturday.Speaking to IANS about the much-hyped scheme, BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat said: "Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was keen to introduce this scheme for women. Earlier, the government had already provided the 'Pink Pass' for free travel in DTC buses and bicycles for Class 9 girls. But this was an important scheme whose registration began from today."

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi always thinks about making women independent," she added.Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa requested all eligible women to submit their applications at the earliest."I also want to inform everyone that BJP MLAs have deployed additional staff at their constituency offices to assist women with the application process. Eligible beneficiaries can also visit their local MLA's office to complete the registration and receive the monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 under the scheme," he told IANS.East Delhi District Magistrate Vadodaria Karanjit P. said that so far more than 1,000 registrations have been completed across the national capital."The Chief Minister launched the portal this morning. Registration camps have been set up at the district offices across all 13 districts, where eligible beneficiaries can visit and complete their registration. Apart from this, beneficiaries can also register through their mobile phones or computers," he said.

Interacting with IANS, a housewife praised the scheme, saying, "Earlier we had to remain dependent on our husband, but this scheme will make us financially independent and will enable us to fulfil our basic needs on our own."A senior citizen who registered herself said she will be happiest when the money actually comes into her account.A young woman was grateful to the government for considering women's financial freedom."With this amount we will be able to do something substantial," she told IANS.Delhi BJP MLAs also hailed the scheme, referring to it as a "long-standing demand".BJP MLA Abhay Verma said: "This was a long-standing demand. The Opposition also kept raising questions about it. We had said that the scheme would be implemented at the appropriate time, but they did not believe us...Our intention was clear from the beginning. We wanted to implement this scheme, and we have now brought in a proper system to ensure that the maximum number of women can benefit from it."

BJP MLA Anil Goyal added: "Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had allocated (approx.) Rs 5,100 crore in the Budget for the 'Delhi Lakshmi Yojana'. During the election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised that women in Delhi would receive Rs 2,500 per month. This scheme fulfils that promise. The financial assistance is being provided to economically weaker women."BJP MLA Ravi Kant echoed, saying: "The Delhi Lakshmi Yojana will empower women and serve as an important step towards bringing prosperity. The BJP government is continuously working towards women's empowerment."

/IANS