GS Paper - III

On 17 September 2024, Prime Minister launched the Subhadra Yojana, the Odisha government’s scheme to transfer Rs 10,000 per year to eligible women beneficiaries in the state between the ages of 21 and 60.

Subhadra scheme

• The scheme is named after Goddess Subhadra, the younger sibling of Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Odisha. Lord Jagannath, who is deeply revered in the 90%-Hindu state, is always depicted as part of a triad of deities that includes Subhadra and their oldest sibling, Balabhadra.
• Over five years until 2028-29, the scheme will provide more than 1 crore women across the state with financial assistance of Rs 10,000 annually.
• The transfers will be made in two instalments of Rs 5,000 each, on Rakhi Purnima (Raksha Bandhan, which typically falls in August), and International Women’s Day (March 8) every year. More than 50 lakh women have already registered for the scheme.

How it will work

• The money will be deposited directly into the beneficiary’s Aadhaar-enabled single-holder bank account.
• The government has made e-KYC mandatory for the scheme. A Subhadra Debit Card will be issued to the beneficiaries.
• A total 100 beneficiaries with the highest number of digital transactions in each gram panchayat and urban local body area will receive an additional incentive of Rs 500.
• Women from economically well-off families, government employees, and income-tax payees will not be eligible for the scheme. Women who receive assistance of Rs 1,500 or more per month (or Rs 18,000 or more per year) under any other government scheme will also be excluded.
• Banks, post offices, and common service centres across Odisha have been witnessing a rush of women to enrol for the scheme or to update their Aadhaar details.
• There is no last date to register; the process will continue until all eligible beneficiaries have been registered.

Financing the scheme

• Official sources said the government has budgeted for Rs 55,825 crore for the scheme for five years from 2024-25 to 2028-29. For the current (2024-25) financial year, a sum of Rs 10,000 crore has been kept aside for the scheme.
• Officers in the state finance department said there will be no financial constraints for the scheme, on which the government will remain focused.