Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Subhadra Yojana on his 74th birthday on September 17. This is a scheme of the Odisha government under which Rs 10,000 will be deposited in the state account of eligible female beneficiaries aged between 21 and 60 years every year. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi government has planned a huge gathering of women from across the state at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar to launch the scheme. Arrangements have been made to broadcast the PM's program live at the panchayat and block level.
Scheme named after Goddess Subhadra
The scheme is named after Goddess Subhadra, the younger sister of Lord Jagannath, Odisha's presiding deity. Over five years till 2028-29, the scheme will provide financial assistance of Rs 10,000 annually to over 1 crore women across the state. The transfer will be made in two instalments of Rs 5,000 each on Rakhi Purnima (Raksha Bandhan, which usually falls in August) and International Women's Day (March 8).
Money will be transferred to the account linked to Aadhaar
The money will be deposited directly into the bank account linked to the Aadhaar of the beneficiary. The government has made e-KYC mandatory for this scheme. Beneficiaries will be issued Subhadra debit cards. A total of 100 beneficiaries who make the highest number of digital transactions in each gram panchayat and urban local body area will get an additional incentive of Rs 500.
These women will not get the benefit of the scheme
Women from financially well-off families, government employees and women paying income tax will not be eligible for this scheme. Women receiving assistance of Rs 1,500 or more per month (or Rs 18,000 or more per year) under any other government scheme will also be excluded from this scheme.
Where is registration taking place
Registration for this scheme is being done in banks, post offices and common service centers of Odisha. There is no last date for registration. This process will continue until all the eligible beneficiaries are registered.
How much will the plan cost
Official sources said the government has budgeted Rs 55,825 crore for the scheme for five years from 2024-25 to 2028-29. An amount of Rs 10,000 crore has been set aside for the scheme for the current (2024-25) financial year. The BJP had promised before the assembly and parliament elections to bring the Subhadra Yojana. The scheme ended 24 years of BJD rule in Odisha and helped the BJP win 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Women, especially the 70 lakh members of nearly 6 lakh women self-help groups (WSHGs) organised under Mission Shakti, were the biggest factor behind the BJD's electoral success for 24 years. Mission Shakti was launched in 2001 to empower women by providing them credit and market linkages, and it has managed to create a committed vote bank of women for the BJD over the years.
