Bhubaneshwar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Subhadra Yojana, a scheme aimed at empowering women, in Odisha on September 17, 2024, on the occasion of his birthday.
Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, Governor Raghubar Das, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and other ministers of the Odisha government were present at the ceremony.
The scheme aims to provide one crore women aged between 21 and 60 years with cash assistance of ₹50,000 over five years. CM Majhi praised the scheme, calling it revolutionary. “Subhadra is a progressive and revolutionary scheme. The scheme will help women realise their dreams,” said Majhi.
The scheme is named after Goddess Subhadra, the younger sibling of Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Odisha. Lord Jagannath, deeply revered in the predominantly 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 one crore women across the state with financial assistance of ₹10,000 annually. The transfers will be made in two instalments of ₹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. /BI
