Haryana cabinet approves govt job for deceased Rohtak ASI Sandeep Lathar’s wife, brings more women under Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Scheme

Addressing the media after the cabinet meeting, Saini announced that Santosh will be given a government job. (Image: @NayabSainiBJP)

The Haryana Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Tuesday approved a series of major welfare and administrative decisions, including extending Old Pension Scheme (OPS) benefits to 347 contract drivers, expanding the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Scheme for women, approving panchayat land for gaushala, and tightening rules on property registration in unauthorised colonies.

The cabinet also approved the decision to appoint Santosh Devi, the wife of the deceased Rohtak ASI Sandeep Kumar Lathar, as a Mathematics teacher at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak. Lathar had died by suicide on October 14 in Rohtak. Devi had alleged in the First Information Report (FIR) that Lathar ended his life due to “political and administrative pressure” allegedly mounted by IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, her brother and Punjab MLA Amit Rattan and others following the death of Amneet Kumar’s husband. Y Puran Kumar, the husband of Amneet Kumar, was the inspector general of police when he died by suicide at his private residence in Chandigarh’s Sector-11 on October 7.

ASI Lathar was part of the Rohtak CIA-2 team that intercepted and arrested the late IGP Y Puran Kumar’s PSO Sushil Kumar, following a complaint by liquor contractor Praveen Bansal. It was a day after Sushil Kumar’s arrest that Y Puran Kumar was found dead.

Saini said, “The state government is continuously working towards cow protection and conservation. As part of this effort, land is being provided at concessional rates to social organisations to establish gaushalas. In today’s meeting, the Cabinet approved leasing Panchayat land of Rathewali village in Barwala block of Panchkula district to Kamdhenu Gau Seva Samiti for 20 years for setting up a gaushala.”

In a decision benefiting transport department employees, the Cabinet approved “granting qualifying service and Old Pension Scheme benefits to 347 drivers appointed on contract in 2002.” These drivers will now be considered regular from their initial appointment date.

Service will be counted from the date of the first appointment for providing benefits such as Assured Career Progression (ACP), Old Pension Scheme, Family Pension Scheme 1964, and opening of General Provident Fund accounts. These benefits will be given on a notional basis up to August 31, 2024, while actual financial benefits will accrue from September 1, 2024, or another cut-off date fixed by the government.

Emphasising transparency in property registration, Saini said, “There is a complete ban on registries in unauthorised colonies. The government has also acted against attempts to bypass the ban through land exchange.” He also announced that land exchange for registration purposes in such colonies has now been completely prohibited.

The Cabinet also approved the expansion of the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Scheme. Currently, women from families with an annual income below Rs 1 lakh receive Rs 2,100 per month under the scheme. The benefits will now also extend to “mothers of students scoring over 80 per cent marks in Classes 10 and 12, women working under the NIPUN scheme, and mothers who help bring malnourished or anaemic children into the healthy ‘green zone’, provided family income is up to Rs 1.8 lakh annually.”

As is the case now, out of the Rs 2,100 assistance, Rs 1,100 will be directly credited to women’s accounts, while Rs 1,000 will be deposited by the government in recurring or fixed deposits. So far, over 10.25 lakh women have applied, with around 8 lakh already receiving benefits.

Highlighting the impact of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign, Saini said, “Haryana’s sex ratio has improved significantly – from 871 in 2014 to a record 923 in 2025. In 2025 alone, 154 PNDT (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) and abortion-related raids were conducted, leading to the closure of 41 chemist shops and 395 abortion centres. Additionally, 114 FIRs were registered under the MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) Act, and 83 charge sheets were filed in courts. These decisions reflect the government’s commitment to inclusive growth, women’s empowerment, social justice, and good governance.”