The BJP government of Odisha has named this scheme after Lord Jagannath’s younger sister Subhadra. Lord Jagannath is the revered deity of the Hindus of the state. Through this scheme, more than one crore women of the state will be given financial assistance of Rs 10,000 annually in five years till 2028-29.
SharePrime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Odisha government’s ‘Subhadra Yojana’ on his 74th birthday on September 17. Apart from this, the PM will also lay the foundation stone of several other social welfare projects. Official sources said that about one crore women across the state will be covered under the Subhadra scheme. Under this, every woman between the age of 21 to 60 years will be transferred Rs 10,000 cash annually in two installments for five years. According to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sources, about one lakh women of the state will attend the program, where the Prime Minister will distribute the first installment of financial assistance to the women beneficiaries.
What is Subhadra Yojana?
The BJP government of the state has named this scheme after Lord Jagannath’s younger sister Subhadra. Lord Jagannath is the worshipped deity of the Hindus of the state. Through this scheme, more than one crore women of the state will be given financial assistance of Rs 10,000 annually in five years till 2028-29. This money will be deposited in the bank accounts of women beneficiaries every year on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan and International Women’s Day (8 March).
Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Parvati Parida has said that more than 50 lakh women who have registered their names for the Subhadra scheme in the state will get the first installment of Rs 5000 on September 17. Parida said that women who have registered themselves for the scheme by September 15 will get the first installment through their bank accounts on September 17. Under the scheme, eligible women will get Rs 5000 in two installments every year for a period of five years. The state government has already made a budgetary provision of Rs 10,000 crore for the scheme in the annual budget for 2024-25.
Subhadra Yojana was an election promise
Subhadra Yojana was a major promise of BJP during the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. It is believed that this scheme has played a big role in ending the 24-year rule of Biju Janata Dal in the state. Due to this scheme, the women of Odisha were attracted towards BJP. Earlier, behind the 24-year innings of Naveen Patnaik government, there were 6 lakh women self-help groups, with about 70 lakh women associated with them. In the year 2001, Patnaik started a campaign to connect women directly to the market by giving loans through Mission Shakti. Due to this, women became a strong vote bank of BJD.
To counter this scheme of Naveen Patnaik and gain electoral advantage, BJP had offered Subhadra Yojana to transfer money directly to the accounts of women, under which every woman was promised a cash voucher of Rs 50,000. This is to be given in two installments in five years. On June 12, when the first BJP government was formed in the state under the leadership of Mohan Charan Manjhi, this scheme was approved in the first cabinet meeting itself.
