With the government formally launching the AAP’s flagship Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana on Wednesday, more than 2.34 lakh women in Jalandhar received the first installment of financial assistance directly into their bank accounts.
A total of Rs 88 crore was credited to beneficiaries in the district, covering three months of assistance under the scheme.
Jalandhar has 3,27,756 registered beneficiaries, though payments were released to 2,34,701 women who had completed registration by June 25.
Of the beneficiaries who received the first installment, around 1.17 lakh belong to the general category and an equal number to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category.
The district authorities said Rs 52.81 crore was released to general category beneficiaries and Rs 35.20 crore to SC beneficiaries.
The scheme was initially launched as a pilot project in nine Assembly constituencies across Punjab, with Adampur among the selected segments. Subsequently, four more constituencies in Jalandhar district were brought under the scheme, while the remaining segments were added around a fortnight ago.
Of the over 10 lakh female voters in the district, so far only a little over 3 lakh have registered for the scheme. The district officials said further registrations were on.
District Programme Officer Gulbahar Singh said the pace of registrations had been affected by heavy traffic on the online portal but was expected to improve. “Since the scheme has just started, registrations are gradually picking up. There was significant traffic on the portal. As the process progresses, many more women are expected to join. The remaining beneficiaries will also receive the amount soon," he said.
Under the scheme, eligible women over 18 years of age (from the general category), will receive a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000, while women belonging to the Scheduled Castes will be provided Rs 1,500 per month.
AAP leader Pawan Tinu termed the launch a landmark step towards women’s financial empowerment.
“This is a pioneering initiative that will strengthen the economic independence of women. For beneficiaries from poor households, even Rs 1,000 a month makes a meaningful difference. Those dismissing it as a freebie fail to understand its significance for women struggling to make ends meet," he said.
The launch was marked by meetings and gatherings across the district, where party workers and beneficiaries watched a live telecast of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann disbursing benefits to women at a state-level event in Dhuri.
