On September 17, 2024, over 25 lakh women across the State have received Rs 5,000 in their bank accounts. This is the beginning of the Subhadra Yojana, the flagship scheme of the Mohan Majhi-led BJP’s first stand alone government in the State. At least one crore women would be covered with a budgetary outlay of a whopping Rs 55,825 crore under this Odisha’s biggest-ever State-funded direct cash transfer scheme for women in the State.
Poor women between the age group of 21 and 60 years would be provided financial support of Rs50,000 over a period of next five years. They would be provided cash of Rs 10,000 each per annum in two equal instalments through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Every year, the instalments would be disbursed on the occasion of Rakhya Bandhan Utsav in August and International Womwn’s Day on March 8.
In to the run up to the simultaneous election to the State Assembly as well as the Lok Sabha, BJP’s poll promises Subhadra Yojana proved to be the game changer in Odisha. It is widely believed that it was this women- centric scheme which threw up surprises for BJP with 20 out 0f 21 seats in Lok Sabha and a simple majority in the Assembly to form the government in the State.
The party in its manifesto had promised, “ We will introduce Subhadra Yojana, under which every women will receive a cash voucher of Rs50,000, which can be encased over two years.” After the first cabinet meeting of the BJP government in June, the chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced roll out of the scheme within 100 days.
In August, Odisha witnessed women in large number queuing up before Jan Seva Kendras for enrollment under the scheme as soon as the guidelines were issued by the State Women & Child Development. There were mad rush in banks and computer centres for updation of bank accounts and seeding of Adhar Card and phone number . And, by the end of September, over 92 lakh women have enrolled themselves under the scheme.
Launched amidst lot of enthusiasm by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17,2024, the first tranche of cash benefits was transferred into the bank accounts of as many as 25 lakh women across the State.
“In the first batch 25, 11,000 women have received the first instalment money” said Prabhati Parida, the Deputy Chief Minister holding the portfolio of W & CD. According her, another 25 lakh would receive the Subhadra Rashi very soon. She said, the disbursement of first instalment would be completed before first week of March 2025, and the payout of the second instalment would start from March 8,2025.
Parida said, the Subhadra scheme incentivizes digital transaction by providing an additional Rs500 to 100 women in each Gram Panchyat and Urban Local Body who make the highest number of digital transactions.
Asserting that the number of application would reach the targeted one crore soon, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “The enrollment will continue till the last eligible woman is included.” Woman attaining 21 years would be included and those crossing 60 years will be eliminated in progressive manner during the next five years.
“Subhadra is a progressive and revolutionary scheme. The scheme will help women realise their dreams”, said Mohan Majhi.
Subhadra Yojana is a revolutionary scheme in the sense that it would usher a new era in subsidy delivery such as cash transfer through DBT to the beneficiaries of various government programmes as this has been chosen as the first programme to use Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) commonly referred as digital rupee. The instalments would be received by the beneficiaries in Digital Rupees, which can be spend via UPI QR Code or transfer to bank account.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is currently conducting pilots of its digital rupee, with around six million users, including over five million retail users. Odisha was among the States where CBDC pilot began in late 2022.
In this RBI’s digital currency pilot project, as many as 12,000 beneficiaries have received the first instalment money in digital rupee in their digi-wallet under Subhadra Yojana. With success of CBDC in Subhadran Yojana may lead to addition of more government schemes under this digital transaction of money route.
The Yojana has been made CBDC enabled with collaborations with high officials of RBI, Mumbai, and the local bankers.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi while launching the Subhadra Yojana, here on September 17, said, “The money will go directly into your bank account, there are no middlemen. It is linked to RBI’s digital currency pilot. This digital currency can be spent whenever you want.”
Even though there is an overwhelming response to the scheme by women in the State, the opposition whining dubbing the scheme as a ‘Cheat on Odisha women’.
The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD opposition and the Congress disrupted the proceeding of the recently concluded monsoon session of the State Assembly for days demanding coverage of all the two crore women under the scheme as per the ruling BJP’s poll promises.
BJD chief whip in the House Pramila Mallick says, “The BJP in its election manifesto had promised cash voucher of Rs 50,000 to each of the women of the State for spending in two years. Now on coming to power, the government has curtailed the scheme deceiving the women of the State.”
Congress legislator Sofis Firdous points out that the criteria of economic background would deprive many women from taking advantage of the scheme. She demands that all the women be covered under the scheme as promised in the election manifesto.
BJD’s Rajya Sabha MP Sulata Deo says many poor and needy women have been deprived of the benefit because of age criteria. With the inclusion of women only of age group 21-60, over one crore women do not qualify for the Subhadra scheme.
BJD’s former Lok Sabha MP Sarmistha Sethi says, “The very purpose of the scheme has been defeated. Payout of Rs 50,000 in ten instalments of Rs.5000 each over a long period of five years would not be any help to the poor women except indulging in consumerism.”
In the run up to the assembly elections, the party manifesto said, “ We will introduce Subhadra Yojana, under which every women will receive a cash voucher Rs50,000, which can be encashed over two years.” After the first cabinet meeting of the BJP government in June, the chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced its roll out within 100 days.
Subhadra Yojana might have been critical in BJP’s poll victory, but question remains about its feasibility. Funding the scheme, Rs 10,000 core per annum would have impact on the fiscal position of the State. Economists are of the view that the consumption-centric scheme may not empower the women economically.
Sujata Praharaj, a columnist on economic affairs of the State, is however, quite optimistic about the outcome of the scheme. “The spending may not create any asset or empower the women as expected, but it would certainly bring some buoyance in the local market. At a time when the rural consumption is in low, Subhadra money would bring some life to rural market.”
Beneficiaries, however, are quite happy with the Rs 5000 in their vanity bag.
“Puja would be more colourful this year”, said Sumati Sahu, a housewife of Cuttack who took lot of pain in enrolling herself under the scheme by standing long hours before Jan Seva Kendra and bank under sun and rain. She is planning to buy tow sarees, one for herself, and one for her husband’s sister, besides clothes for her childr this Dusherra. She says the pain she took in enrolling herself in the scheme standing long hours under sun and rains in front of Jan Seva Kendra and banks
It seems, Subhadra has come out to appease sister-in-law Lakshmi, the sulking wife of Lord Jaganath in Odisha.
(The content of this article reflects the views of writers and contributors, not necessarily those of the publisher and editor. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only)
By Dilip Bissoyi
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