Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday launched the Punjab government’s monthly financial assistance scheme for women, ‘Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojna’, and said AAP had fulfilled its final poll guarantee made before the 2022 Assembly polls. Under the scheme, women from the general category will get Rs 1,000 a month, while women from the Scheduled Castes will get Rs 1,500.
Addressing a gathering of women, Mann said more than 40 lakh women had already been registered under the scheme. He said the benefit had started from July and that funds would be transferred directly to bank accounts, with some women at the event saying they had received messages about the money being credited.
Mann called the day “historic” and described the initiative as a major step for women. “The ‘Satkar Raashi’ has started from July and it will pave the way for women empowerment. This is an ambitious scheme and we have launched it with complete planning to ensure that it continues permanently,” he said.
He added that beneficiaries above the age of 18 would receive messages regarding the financial assistance.
He said women already receiving social security pensions would also be eligible under the scheme and claimed that around 97 per cent of women in Punjab were expected to benefit.
The state government, he said, had earmarked Rs 9,300 crore in the budget for the scheme. Mann also targeted opposition parties, saying they had “always” attacked his government over the scheme and that “now their mouths will be shut” after its implementation.
Mann said the financial assistance might not make women rich, but would give them dignity and self-respect.
“Women deserve the highest respect because they are the source of life itself. The blessings of our mothers and sisters can help us overcome every challenge in the world. Strengthening women’s financial autonomy is essential for improving household welfare, promoting gender equity and enhancing women’s participation in social and economic decision-making,” he said.
He also said the scheme would never stop because it was an act of trust reposed in the people.
Mann said tax collected from the people belonged to them and the government was spending it for their welfare. “People’s money is coming back to the people through development, schools, hospitals and roads. The state government is working only for the people,” he said.
Mann also said, “Mobile phones of women will start beeping with notifications, ushering in a new era of prosperity where women live with dignity and pride.”
The first instalment of Rs 4,500 for Scheduled Caste beneficiaries and Rs 3,000 for women from the general category was transferred to bank accounts on Wednesday. Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia and Cabinet minister Aman Arora were present at the event. After the launch, Sisodia said AAP honoured every promise made to the people.
Mann had said on Tuesday that benefits under the scheme would be applicable from July 1 even if registration cards were delivered later. Women aged 18 years and above who are registered as voters in Punjab and have a valid Aadhaar card showing Punjab residency along with a valid voter ID issued by the Election Commission are eligible.
However, regular or retired employees of the Punjab government, the Centre, or any other state or Union Territory government, elected MLAs or MPs, and the spouses of serving ministers, MPs or MLAs are excluded. With the launch now formalised, the scheme has begun payments while setting out who will receive the monthly assistance and from when.
– Ends
(with inputs from PTI)
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Jul 2, 2026 00:03 IST
