No ‘Lollipops’, BJP Govt Committed To Fulfilling Its Promises: Odisha Deputy CM On Subhadra Yojana

Bhubaneswar: A day after the Odisha government issued guidelines for Subhadra Yojana, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Tuesday clarified that 1.8 crore women will receive financial assistance under the scheme.

“There around 2.25 crore women in 21 to 60 years age bracket in Odisha and 1.8 crore of them, barring those in the creamy layer, will get the benefit,” she told reporters, adding that government will reply to the concerns raised by Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik.

Taking to social media platform X, Naveen had said the BJP had given a “guarantee” to provide Rs 50,000 to every woman in the state but now they are paying only Rs 5,000 and that too not to only 70 lakh of total 2.25 crore population.

Parida assured that all eligible beneficiaries will be covered. “If BJD feels that some might get left out then the party can send a list and those will be included. This is not a ‘lollipop’ government. We are committed to fulfilling the promises for which people voted us to power in the state,” she added.

For the financial year 2024-25, a beneficiary should be 21 years old or above and below 60 years old by July 1, 2024. So the beneficiary’s birthday should be between July 2, 1964 and July 1, 2003. Only those, who have ration cards and none of their family members is a government employee or has a four-wheeler or land more than five acres, or a government pensioner or receiving Rs 1,500 a month (or Rs 18,000 a year) under any other scheme, will be eligible for the scheme.

Also Read: Odisha Govt Issues Guidelines for Subhadra Yojana; Check Eligibility, Documents Required

Rubbishing BJD allegations of going back on its words regarding the scheme, she said that the BJP had only mentioned about launching the Rs 50,000 scheme for women of the state. “We had never said how the amount will be disbursed,” she asserted.

In the run-up to the simultaneous general and assembly elections in Odisha, the BJP had promised to provide all women cash vouchers of Rs 50,000 to be encashed within two years. Later, it decided that the scheme would be live for five years and the government would provide Rs 10,000 every year, which will be transferred to their accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in two phases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to launch the scheme on September 17, which is his birthday, during which the first instalment of Rs 5,000 due for Raksha Bandhan will be released. “Efforts will be made to provide simple forms to women across the state both in online and offline format. These will be made available at 34,000 Anganwadi centres. And action will be taken against whosoever proves to be an impediment in implementation of the scheme,” the Deputy CM added.