Odisha govt disburses Rs 5,106 crore as 4th installment of Subhadra Yojana

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi transferred Rs 5,106 crore to the bank accounts of over 1 crore beneficiaries of Subhadra Yojana of the Odisha government on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Sunday.

The Chief Minister transferred the money under the Subhadra scheme at an event in Puri.

Each beneficiary received Rs 5,000 as the fourth installment of the cash transfer scheme for women in the state. The beneficiaries had earlier received Rs 15,000 in three installments.

BJP govt launched Subhadra Yojana in 2024

Soon after coming to power in Odisha in 2024, the BJP government launched the Subhadra Yojana for the eligible women in the age group of 21 to 60 years.

Under the scheme, each beneficiary will receive Rs 50,000 over a period of five years. The beneficiaries will get Rs 10,000 each in a year in two installments. They are entitled to get the first installment on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8 and the second one on the occasion of Rakshya Bandhan.

The beneficiary list will undergo changes every year with the addition of girls who turn 21 and removal of women who turn 60. Every year, girls turning 21 years of age will be included under the scheme while those reaching 60 years will be shifted to the pension scheme, said the state government.

25 pc beneficiaries have started small businesses  

While disbursing the fourth installment, the Chief Minister claimed that many beneficiaries in Angul, Balangir, Bargarh, Bhadrak and Cuttack districts have started poultry farming, mushroom farming and other small businesses by using the benefits of Subhadra Yojana as seed money.

As per a study conducted by the IIM-Sambalpur, around 25 per cent of the beneficiaries have started small businesses by utilizing the Subhadra money while around 35 per cent spent the money to meet their domestic requirements. Similarly, many beneficiaries have used the money to replay loans, opt for savings and enhance their skills, said the Chief Minister.

“Subhadra Yojana is a step towards making women of Odisha financially independent. The scheme has given a new identity to women. The women of Odisha will play a key role in achieving the goal of a developed state,” said the Chief Minister.