Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is slated to release the third instalment of financial assistance under Subhadra Yojana money to over one crore women during a special event at Koraput’s Jeypore on August 9.
To finalise arrangements for the next phase, a high-level steering committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja in Bhubaneswar.
Addition of new eligible women above the age of 21 and finalisation of the exclusion criteria were among the key issues discussed at the meeting. Women who turn 60 years of age by March 30, 2026, will no longer be eligible to get benefit under the scheme.
Regarding the two lakh applicants who have been excluded from the scheme, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said their applications are with the government and a thorough verification would be undertaken for taking further steps.
Stating that no further application is required to be submitted by these applicants, she said those who are found eligible will be provided with the benefits after verification.
Around two lakh beneficiaries, who had received the first instalment, were later found ineligible due to having purchased five acres of land, vehicle or filed IT returns.
“Officials will conduct field-level inspection of these rejected beneficiaries. Those found eligible will receive the instalments in one go,” said Parida.
She said women filing zero income tax returns and those with an annual income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh will be eligible to avail the benefits under the scheme.
Officials said that the government is also giving due importance to public feedback on the utilisation of funds by beneficiaries. A structured mechanism will be introduced to obtain suggestions and assess the social impact of the scheme.
Launched in September 2024 to empower women through one-time direct financial support, Subhadra Yojana continues to be a key welfare initiative of the state government.
The scheme is designed to provide eligible women aged between 21 and 60 years with Rs 50,000 over five years, from 2024-25 to 2028-29.
Each beneficiary will receive Rs 10,000 annually in two instalments of Rs 5,000 each — one on Rakhi Purnima and the other on International Women’s Day (March 8). This year, the Rakhi Purnima will be celebrated on August 9.