From correspondents in Delhi, India, 07:30 PM IST

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit launched the 'Ladli' scheme on the eve of International Women's Day Friday, handing over a cheque worth Rs.10,000 to the parents of Prachi, a newborn girl.

Under the scheme, the state government intends to deposit Rs.100,000 in the account of every girl child by the time she attains the age of 18. Only those girls whose parents' annual income does not exceed Rs.100,000 a year will be covered under the scheme.

Dikshit said the scheme was aimed at imparting education to every poor girl child by putting a good amount of money by the time she is 18.

'The Ladli scheme ensures that no girl child is a burden on her parents. It will help us in overcoming the menace of female foeticide. Every girl child is now a symbol of prosperity of her family,' Dikshit said.

The state government is implementing the scheme in phases in association with the State Bank of India, which will serve as an authorised agency for secure maintenance of deposit money.

As per the scheme, the government will deposit Rs.10,000 in the name of a girl child at the time of her birth and Rs.5,000 each at the time of admission to Class I, VI, IX, X and XII.

The amount deposited in a girl child's account could be utilised for her higher studies and marriage as well. The beneficiaries of the scheme have to be bona-fide residents of Delhi and should have been born on or after Jan 1, 2008.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)