Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday launched the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s flagship ‘Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana’ in his Assembly constituency of Dhuri in Sangrur district, amid a large gathering comprising mainly women from Dhuri and nearby areas.
Under the scheme, women beneficiaries from the general category will receive monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000, while women belonging to the Scheduled Caste category will receive Rs 1,500 per month.
The state government credited the first instalment, covering three months, into the bank accounts of beneficiaries. Women from the general category received Rs 3,000, while Scheduled Caste beneficiaries received Rs 4,500.
The government claimed that around 40 lakh women across Punjab have been registered under the scheme.
Senior AAP leaders, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Punjab AAP in-charge Aman Arora and Bhagwant Mann’s wife Gurpreet Kaur, were present at the launch event.
Before attending the function, Mann and Gurpreet Kaur participated in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and completed the enrolment process.
Several women who received messages confirming the credit of funds to their accounts expressed happiness over the scheme.
Charanpreet Kaur from Dhuri displayed the message received on her mobile phone and said she was delighted to receive the financial assistance.
Puja Singhal, a student from Dhuri, said the money would help meet additional educational expenses.
Sarabjit Kaur, an elderly resident of Sangrur, said the assistance would strengthen women’s financial independence.
“Like giving ‘shagun’ to grandchildren visiting the house, I often had to ask my husband and son for money. Now I will have funds of my own and can spend them as I wish,” she said.
After the launch, Mann attended a programme in Patran where SAD (Punar Surjit) leader Karan Singh DTO joined the Aam Aadmi Party. DTO was accompanied by his wife, former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Varinder Kaur Loomba.
Former Akali leader Surjit Singh Rakhra, who had joined AAP earlier, is learnt to have played a key role in facilitating the couple’s induction into the party.
