Odisha CM Majhi launches disbursement of money for 20 lakh women under financial assistance scheme

Rourkela: Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday launched the disbursement of money under the state's financial assistance scheme 'Subhadra Yojana' for 20 lakh women.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the scheme on September 17.

So far, 80 lakh women have received Rs 5,000 as the first instalment of the scheme in phases. The latest disbursement was the third phase, and Majhi launched it from a function held at Sundergarh district.

The meeting was attended by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, Deputy CM Pravati Parida and Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik, among others.

Under the scheme, eligible women between 21 and 60 will receive Rs 50,000 over five years till 2028-29. They will get Rs 10,000 annually in two equal instalments, credited directly to their bank accounts.

Launching the disbursement, Majhi asked the women present at the function to check their mobile phones for alerts of money being credited into their bank accounts. As the mobile phones beeped, the audience cheered with applause.

The deputy CM said the fourth and final phase of the first instalment is likely to be released by the end of December, covering over 1 crore women in total, after physical verification and corrections of discrepancies in applications.

"Those who have not received the money will get it in the last phase in December," she said.

During his one-day visit to the mineral-rich district, Majhi laid the foundation for 288 projects worth over Rs 212 crore and inaugurated 692 projects developed at Rs 808 crore.

In his address, the CM said Sundergarh as the name suggest is "beautiful" and it has a huge tourism potential.

He stressed the development of different tourist spots in the district.

Attacking the previous BJD government, Majhi alleged that it "utilised" women for political purposes in the name of empowerment.

"They were giving interest-free loans while we are providing direct financial assistance," he said.

On the sidelines of the function, the CM told reporters that Sundergarh would be included in the proposed North Odisha Development Council (NODC) as promised by the BJP before the elections.