Odisha transfers over Rs 20,648 crore to one crore women under Subhadra Yojana in two years

Bhubaneswar, Jul 10 (PTI) The Odisha government has transferred over Rs 20,648 crore to more than one crore women beneficiaries of Subhadra Yojana in four instalments, while the fifth tranche will be released on the upcoming 'Rakhi Purnima' (Raksha Bandhan) in August, officials said on Friday. Ahead of disbursement of the fifth instalment of money (Rs 5,000 per beneficiary), Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Friday reviewed the preparedness and directed concerned officers to complete field verification of pending applicants by July 25. She also directed that the progress of these cases be reviewed daily to ensure timely completion of the process ahead of the fifth instalment. Speaking to media persons, Parida, who is in-charge of the Women and Child Development Department, said applications of about 3.53 lakh women are pending field verification. The block level committees under the Subhadra scheme will approve the findings of field level officials and forward them to the district and then to the state government. Accordingly, those found eligible would receive the fifth instalment, she said, adding that the exercise will be completed by July 25. Several applications are also pending at various stages, including e-KYC, bank account verification, and biometrics. Concerned applicants should complete these as soon as possible to reap the scheme's benefit, Parida said. According to officials, a total of 1.15 crore applications have been registered under the Subhadra Yojana so far. Of these, 3.17 lakh new applications were received during the financial year 2026-27. Following scrutiny and eligibility assessment, 1.02 crore women were initially identified as potential beneficiaries for the fifth instalment, they said. After verification by district administrations confirmed the deaths of 5,277 beneficiaries, the final list of 1.01 crore eligible beneficiaries has been prepared for the fifth instalment as of now, the officials said. During the meeting, Parida reviewed the progress of key preparatory activities, including Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) activation, biometric e-KYC, field enquiries, NPCI mapping, payment file preparation and coordination with banks. The deputy chief minister emphasised the need for expeditious disposal of pending cases and called for close coordination among all stakeholders to complete the necessary processes within the stipulated timeline. Emphasising timely, transparent and error-free implementation of the scheme, Parida directed officials to ensure complete preparedness at all levels for seamless disbursement of the fifth instalment to every eligible beneficiary. She stressed close coordination among field-level functionaries, the concerned departments, technical agencies and banking institutions to complete all necessary processes within the stipulated timeline. Subhadra Yojana, a women-centric ambitious scheme of the BJP government, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday in Bhubaneswar on September 17, 2024. Women between the age group of 21 to 60 years are eligible as beneficiaries of the Subhadra Yojana, which envisages providing financial assistance of Rs 50,000 over five years (2024-25 to 2028-29) to make them financially independent and self-reliant. Each beneficiary is receiving Rs 10,000 per year in two instalments of Rs 5,000 each — one on International Women’s Day (March 8) and the other on Raksha Bandhan. PTI BBM BBM RG