Bhagwant Mann: Punjab women’s phones buzzed with bank alerts on Sunday as the state government released the next instalment of its flagship cash assistance scheme.
₹1,291 Crore Reaches 37.43 Lakh Women
At a function in Abohar, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann transferred ₹1,291 crore directly into the accounts of 37.43 lakh women across the state under the Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana. He said ₹2,643.71 crore had already gone to 76.35 lakh women, taking the total assistance distributed to ₹3,934.80 crore.
Registrations And The One Crore Target
As of October 29, 80.05 lakh women had registered, and the government is working towards covering one crore women. The government plans to raise the annual budget for the scheme up to ₹12,000 crore as more women join. Mann said money will be sent to all registered women on January 1 as a New Year gift.
How Much Women Receive
General category women get ₹1,000 every month, while Scheduled Caste women get ₹1,500, and payments began in July. The state set aside ₹9,300 crore for the scheme in its 2026-27 budget.
Incentives For The People Running The Scheme
The state also set aside ₹51.3 crore for Satkar Sakhis who help with registrations and ₹25 crore for Anganwadi workers.
The 2022 Promise Behind It
Before the 2022 election, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal had promised ₹1,000 for every woman. The scheme launched nearly four years after AAP took office. Mann has described it as the party’s final election guarantee being fulfilled.
What The Opposition Says
Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP have pressed the government for failing to keep the promise. Opposition parties have also demanded ₹48,000 in arrears for the years the money was not paid. Mann has countered that the opposition is frustrated and fears AAP’s return to power in 2027.
