Punjab Budget: Rs 1,000/month for women, Rs 1,500 for SC women under new scheme
Providing assistance of Rs 1,000 per woman per month was a key poll promise made by the ruling party ahead of the 2022 Punjab assembly elections.
Presenting the state budget for 2026-27 in the Assembly here, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced the ‘Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna’, under which the government will transfer money directly to women’s accounts.
The Bhagwant Mann government launched the new scheme nearly four years after the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Punjab.
For women belonging to the SC community, the government will directly transfer Rs 1,500 per month into their accounts, Cheema said.
The announcement coincided with International Women’s Day. The state budget was presented for the first time on Sunday.
Cheema said that this new scheme for women will be not only India’s but also the world’s first universal cash transfer scheme for women. “Every woman above 18 years of age in Punjab will be eligible to enroll in this scheme, excluding only a few, namely current or past permanent government employees, current and past MPs/MLAs and income taxpayers,” he said.
He also said that even women registered under existing social security retirement schemes such as old age pension or widow/indigent pension or disability pension scheme will be eligible under this scheme.
“In total, nearly 97 per cent of all adult women in Punjab will be eligible under this scheme, the highest for any state in India,” Cheema said.
This initiative aims to promote economic independence, strengthen the role of women in household decision-making, improve health and nutrition outcomes, and promote continuing education and higher aspirations among girls.
This confirms the government’s belief that empowerment should mean tangible financial security and greater dignity for women in Punjab, the External Affairs Minister said.
Targeting rival parties, Cheema said many states have launched ‘jumla’ to announce similar schemes but they have limited it to only a small section of women, ignoring the vast majority of women who are financially dependent on men for their most basic needs.
“For example, one of our neighboring states announced a similar scheme but restricted it only to households with annual income below Rs 1 lakh, covering only 20 per cent of all adult women,” he said.
Cheema, however, said Punjab would not engage in such “jumlas”.
“Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Ji is the Chief Minister of all Punjab women, not 20 per cent of women in Punjab… That is why we decided to be the first state to ensure that all adult women are covered under the scheme,” Cheema said.
“So, be it a girl in college who needs extra books, a girl who is preparing for a government job and needs coaching, a woman who wants to watch a movie in the cinema hall or a grandmother who wants to buy a new toy for her grandson, they will no longer have to ask anyone for money for their expenses because their elder brother, their son, will deposit Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 every month in their Bhagwant Singh Mann bank account,” said Cheema.
The FM has made a budget outlay of Rs 9,300 billion for 2026-27 to ensure transparent and timely implementation of the plan.
Before AAP came to power in Punjab, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised to give Rs 1,000 to every woman.
The Mann government’s announcement to implement the women’s scheme comes amid mounting pressure from opposition parties – Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP – targeting the AAP dispensation for failing to deliver on its poll promises.
Opposition parties are also demanding that the Mann government give Rs 1,000 per month to every woman along with Rs 48,000 accumulated in the last four years, as AAP has promised to provide financial assistance after coming to power in 2022.
