Bhubaneswar: A high-level monitoring and review meeting of the Subhadra Yojana, chaired by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, was held at Lok Seva Bhavan today to assess the implementation progress and strategize the next phase of the flagship women’s welfare initiative. The meeting brought together top officials from the Women and Child Development Department and other associated departments to evaluate the reach, impact, and operational efficiency of the scheme.
Opening the review, Chief Secretary Ahuja lauded the Women and Child Development Department for successfully rolling out the Subhadra Yojana within 100 days of Cabinet approval and disbursing financial assistance through two timely installments using an integrated government system. He also emphasized the importance of leveraging other welfare schemes to help Subhadra beneficiaries achieve holistic economic empowerment.
Providing a detailed implementation update, Women and Child Development Director Monisha Banerjee informed that the scheme has received 1.09 crore applications so far. Out of these, 1.02 crore women have received the first installment, and over 1.0096 crore beneficiaries have received the second installment. She also revealed that approximately 5.82 lakh women were excluded based on 15 eligibility criteria such as ownership of four-wheelers, higher family income, government employment, and pension receipt.
Additionally, 93,792 women aged 60 and above were excluded from the third installment for FY 2025–26. A proposal was tabled to link these senior beneficiaries with the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department for potential inclusion in alternative support programs.
The meeting also addressed operational aspects such as the facilitation of beneficiary data updates at local Sarpanch office helpdesks and ongoing financial audits related to the scheme.
Significant discussion centered around the “Subhadra Review” program, a collaborative initiative between the Women and Child Development Department, the Higher Education Department, and IIM Sambalpur. Initial findings reveal a positive trend: many beneficiaries are channeling the financial aid into entrepreneurial ventures, supporting the scheme’s objective of fostering self-reliance among women.
In terms of grievance redressal, the Subhadra portal has logged over 3.51 lakh complaints, out of which 1.83 lakh have been resolved. The “Kuha Subhadra” women-led complaint resolution centers are currently receiving more than 20,000 responses daily, with prompt feedback and follow-up, as stated by Principal Secretary Shubha Sharma.
Chief Secretary Ahuja concluded the session by reiterating the government’s commitment to inclusive development and the role of the Subhadra Yojana in building a self-reliant Odisha by empowering women at the grassroots.
