The Odisha government has launched the third phase of the Subhadra Scheme, releasing the first installment of Rs 5,000 to over 20 lakh women. This initiative is part of the state's largest women-centric program aimed at financially empowering women. Each beneficiary will receive Rs 5,000 annually in two equal installments, credited directly to their Aadhaar-enabled, DBT-linked bank accounts. The government aims to cover over one crore women by December 2024, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of developing Odisha.
Odisha CM Mohan Majhi announced transferring over Rs 1,000 crore under the scheme and mentioned, "Over one crore mothers and sisters will benefit from the Subhadra scheme, making it the largest public welfare initiative in our state. The previous government extensively promoted Mission Shakti, under which interest-free loans were provided. However, under the Subhadra scheme, we are directly providing financial assistance to our sisters."
Sundargarh district has registered over 4,59,000 women under the Subhadra scheme, with over 3,37,000 receiving the first installment in the third phase. Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram praised the state government's commitment to women's development, while Deputy CM Pravati Parida expressed unprecedented enthusiasm among women, with over 1 crore digitizing documents from their homes.
