Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to unveil the Subhadra Yojana on September 17,he is launching this scheme on his birthday and this is to be directed towards providing financial assistance to women between 21 and 60 years of age in Odisha.

This scheme aims at empowering women in the state by giving them financial support. It is named after Devi Subhadra. The strength of women is represented through this scheme, and, therefore, it falls more in the category of the rich cultural heritage of the state of Odisha.

Important Information About The Scheme
The government of Odisha will provide an annual assistance of Rs 10,000 to the eligible woman. The assistance will be paid in two installments-the first installment shall be during Raksha Bandhan and the other installment shall be during International Women’s Day. The scheme will uplift women from economically backward sections. To be exempted from this will be women who have income tax payees, government employees, and earning more than Rs 18,000 annually through other schemes sponsored by the government.

Notably, the Chief Minister would inaugurate the Subhadra Yojana at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar amidst a huge public gathering while it would simultaneously reach panchayats and blocks. The whole population of the state would thus be covered.

Eligibility And How To Register
The scheme has been designed taking into account a woman who is 21 years to 60 years of age; however, in particular, women belonging to low-income families would come within its purview. Women belonging to a more affluent family, government employees, and income tax payees shall not be eligible. Women getting remunerations of Rs 1,500 or more per month through any other government schemes will also not be eligible.

To see that the money flows without any hindrance the beneficiary women must have an Aadhaar-linked single-holder bank account because money is being credited directly. The government has made e-KYC compulsory; the recipient will be provided with a Subhadra Debit Card for smooth transactions. A special incentive of Rs 500 has also been proposed for 100 women in each panchayat and urban area who do maximum digital transactions.

The registrations for the scheme would continue to open and there is no time frame defined for its submission.

Women can apply for the scheme or update their Aadhaar information at banks, post offices, and common service centers. The registration for the scheme will remain open with no fixed deadline.

Economic Impact Of The Subhadra Yojana
With a budget of Rs 55,825 crore planned for the next five years (2024-29), this scheme is likely to provide benefits to over one crore women in Odisha. So far more than 50 lakh women have registered themselves under the scheme. Economists claim the multiplier effect would also arise from the annual Rs 10,000 that each beneficiary is expected to get in terms of production of about Rs 50,000 in the economy for each woman, which would further uplift the economic growth of the state.

This scheme helps the Odisha women attain an important stage economically, making them financially independent and contributing to economic development in the state as a whole.

Women Empowerment Schemes
The Subhadra Yojana is akin to other empowerment schemes for women in different parts of India. For instance, in Madhya Pradesh, the ‘Ladli Behna Yojana’ has been offering Rs 1,250 per month to eligible women and is particularly helping villages as well as the lower strata of society. In Maharashtra, the ‘Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Scheme’ is offering Rs 1,500 per month to over one crore women from lower economic backgrounds.

The ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana’, however, is specifically targeted at girl children in Uttar Pradesh through the education and welfare money accounted for in stages from birth to higher education, in installments of Rs 15,000.

Political Context And Future Prospects
A part of the BJP’s manifesto for Odisha, the Subhadra Yojana ran contrary to the *Mission Shakti* that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had initiated. Mission Shakti had proven extremely useful for BJD in bagging polls for over two decades; after all, direct benefit transfer promises by the BJP have struck a chord with voters, more so among women. It is making a vote bank for the BJP like how Mission Shakti did for BJD.

The Subhadra Yojana has all the potential to become a game changer in the state of Odisha owing to its wide impact as well as an appeal highly based on women’s empowerment.