Bhubaneswar, Jan 22: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday distributed financial assistance under the state’s flagship women-centric welfare scheme, Subhadra Yojana, to more than 4.57 lakh eligible beneficiaries, reinforcing the government’s resolve towards women’s empowerment and economic self-reliance.

The benefit distribution programme was organised at Krushi Sikshya Sadan on the OUAT campus, where over ₹315 crore was transferred directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. The assistance included women who had not received the first, second or remaining third instalments earlier, as well as newly registered beneficiaries for the 2025–26 financial year.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister described Subhadra Yojana as the largest women-centric welfare initiative in post-independence Odisha, with an annual budget outlay of ₹11,000 crore. Under the scheme, more than one crore eligible women aged between 21 and 60 years receive ₹10,000 annually in two instalments for five years, totalling ₹50,000 per beneficiary.

Calling the scheme a “shining example” of the government’s commitment to the mothers and sisters of Odisha, Majhi recalled that the Cabinet approved Subhadra Yojana on the first day of the formation of the government. The first instalment was released on September 17, 2024, following its launch in Bhubaneswar in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He informed that over ₹15,000 crore has already been disbursed to more than one crore beneficiaries in three instalments. The annual instalments are scheduled to be released on Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi Purnima) and International Women’s Day each year.

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