Ganderbal, Sep 20: Despite being the home constituency of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Ganderbal continues to remain outside the ambit of the Jammu and Kashmir government’s Ladli Beti Scheme, prompting residents to demand its extension to the district in the upcoming Autumn Assembly session.
The Ladli Beti Scheme is currently being implemented in only eight districts of Jammu and Kashmir—Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Kishtwar, Srinagar, Pulwama, Budgam and Anantnag. Ganderbal is not among the districts covered under the scheme.
The scheme is aimed at providing long-term financial support to eligible girl children. As per the government’s scheme details, girl children born on or after April 1, 2015, are eligible subject to the prescribed criteria. From April 2022, applications for the scheme have been facilitated through the e-service portal. The scheme provides a financial corpus at the age of 21 years, along with provisions related to health, nutrition and other support services.
The issue has gained renewed attention in Ganderbal ahead of the upcoming Autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, with locals asking whether the government would take up the matter during the short session and extend the scheme to the district.
Residents said the exclusion has deprived eligible families, particularly those from economically weaker sections, of a welfare benefit intended to provide financial security to girl children.
Speaking to Rising Kashmir, Apni Party leader Choudhury Atta Mohammad said the issue should be taken up during the upcoming Assembly session and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to ensure that Ganderbal is brought under the scheme.
“Through the media, I want to convey to Omar sahib that his own district is deprived of such a scheme. The Ladli Beti Scheme should be available in Ganderbal so that poor fathers and their daughters can benefit from it,” he said.
Atta said that while the scheme is already operational in other parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Ganderbal has remained outside its coverage.
“This scheme has already been launched in Jammu and Kashmir. At least this much can be done for the people of Ganderbal during the Assembly session—that the Ladli Beti Scheme is implemented in the district,” he said.
He urged the government to ensure that the prescribed eligibility criteria are followed while extending the scheme to Ganderbal.
“The people of Ganderbal have trusted the Chief Minister, who represents the district. Through the media, I appeal to the government to understand the feelings of the people and implement the Ladli Beti Scheme in Ganderbal so that eligible girls can benefit,” Atta said.
The demand comes after the government informed the Assembly earlier this year that the Ladli Beti Scheme remained limited to eight districts. The government said the districts were selected based on the low girl-child sex ratio prevailing at the time of their selection.
In March 2026, the government also informed the Assembly that there was no proposal then under consideration to extend the scheme to additional districts.
However, the demand for expansion has continued from excluded districts. In April, MLA Kangan Mian Mehar Ali also raised the issue in the Assembly and sought extension of the Ladli Beti Scheme to Ganderbal.
With the Autumn Assembly session approaching, residents of Ganderbal are now looking towards the government for a decision on extending the scheme to the district, saying its implementation could provide financial support to eligible families and strengthen welfare measures for the girl child.
