Bhubaneswar, Nov 09: Odisha's Deputy Chief Minister, Pravati Parida, announced on Saturday that an additional 20 lakh beneficiaries under the state's flagship Subhadra Yojana are expected to receive their first installment of Rs 5,000 by the end of November, as part of the third phase of disbursement.
To date, approximately 60 lakh beneficiaries have already received Rs 5,000 each in two previous phases.
Parida shared with the media that the third phase is scheduled to be launched on November 24 at an event in Sundergarh, where Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram are expected to attend. During this phase, around 20 lakh women beneficiaries will have the money directly credited to their bank accounts.
The remaining eligible beneficiaries will receive their payments in the fourth phase, which is expected to take place in December.
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, the Subhadra Yojana is designed to empower women across Odisha. Under the scheme, each eligible beneficiary is set to receive Rs 50,000 over a five-year period, with two installments of Rs 10,000 each provided annually.
In the first phase, about 25 lakh women received the benefit, followed by 35 lakh beneficiaries in the second phase on October 9.
Addressing concerns about rejected applications, Parida explained that every panchayat office has been instructed to publicly display lists of rejected applicants. Additionally, a separate list has been created for beneficiaries facing issues with their bank details, who will be considered for inclusion in subsequent phases. According to Parida, around 2.67 lakh women have had their applications rejected due to various reasons.
Parida also revealed that the state government aims to eventually cover around 1 crore women under the Subhadra Yojana. Furthermore, she noted that the scheme's reach will be expanded to include Anganwadi workers who do not have any government employees in their families, thereby broadening the scope of benefits.