E-Paper
Mad rush for enrolment into Subhadra Yojana in Odisha ahead PM Modi’s birthday
Over 1 crore women of Odisha between 21 and 60 years of age are expected get annual assistance of ₹10,000 over the next five years under the Subhadra Yojana beginning from September 17
Chaos reigned supreme across Odisha as hundreds of women thronged Aadhaar Seva Kendras or common service centers to update/correct their Aadhaar cards ahead of the payment of the first tranche of payment under the Subhadra Yojana on September 17, on the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Over 1 crore women of Odisha between 21 and 60 years of age would get annual assistance of ₹10,000 over the next five years under the Subhadra Yojana beginning from September 17. They would get it in two equal tranches - on Rakhi Purnima and International Women’s Day - a year over next five years in their accounts through direct benefit transfer. The scheme will be implemented within 2024-25 and 2028-29 financial years and each beneficiary would get a Subhadra debit Card issued by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Modi would handover the first tranche to women at a function in Bhubaneswar on September 17, his birthday. The state government has made a provision of ₹10,000 crore for the scheme in this year’s Budget. Women engaged in government jobs, income tax payers and those belonging to financially better-off families will be excluded from the scheme. Similarly, women getting financial assistance worth ₹1,500 or more per month under any other government scheme will also be excluded.
As linking of Aadhar card with mobile number is a pre-requisite for direct benefit transfer, women across the state thronged the common service centres. Unable to make Aadhaar card corrections, angry villagers blocked National Highway-57 in Bhograi of Balasore district.
Angry villagers alleged the officials were making them run from pillar to post for the last four days. “They have been making us run from pillar to post since the last four days. Every time we go, they ask us to come the next day, but not doing any Aadhaar correction. We have come here every day, leaving behind our children at home,” said a woman in Bhograi, fuming over the delay.
In Nayagarh district, several people spent a night before the Aadhar enrolment centres and common service centres for linking their mobile number while mad rush ensued in Bhadrak district for the same.
There were allegations from at least 7 districts about Anganwadi workers collecting money from women over distribution of Subhadra enrolment form forcing deputy chief minister Prabhati Parida to announce that if any complaint is received about anganwadi workers or anyone else, strict action will be taken against them.
“I want to assure all women that they need not rush to Aadhar centres for mobile phone linking. For enrolment on Subhadra portal, biometrics would also do. Those who would not get the money on September 17, would surely get after that. Not a single eligible beneficiary would be left out,” said Parida.
In the run up to the simultaneous polls to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha in May and June this year, the BJP had promised ₹50,000 cash voucher to women to be given over a period of two years under the scheme named after Goddess Subhadra, sibling of Lord Jagannath. The promise of ₹50,000 did play a role in breaking BJD’s stranglehold over the women voters as BJP was swept to power winning 78 of the 147 seats in the state Assembly and 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats. Subhadra Yojana’s role in BJP’s victory was buttressed by the Lok Niti-CSDS post poll survey which said 43 % of the women voters supported BJP compared to 39 % of BJD.
