The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab announced a new scheme for women on Sunday. Under this scheme, women will receive ₹1,000 every month, while women from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category will receive ₹1,500 per month.
Providing ₹1,000 monthly financial assistance to women was one of the major election promises made by AAP before the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
Budget Announcement and New Scheme
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presented the 2026–27 state budget in the Punjab Assembly. The total size of the budget is ₹2.60 lakh crore.
During the presentation, he announced the launch of the “Mukhya Mantri Mawan Dhiyaan Satkar Yojana” (Chief Minister Mother-Daughter Felicitation Scheme).
Under this scheme, the state government will transfer money directly into the bank accounts of eligible women.
The government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann introduced this scheme nearly four years after coming to power in the state.
Cheema also announced that women from the Scheduled Caste community will receive ₹1,500 every month under the program.
The announcement was made on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Notably, this is the first time that the Punjab state budget has been presented on a Sunday.
Eligibility for the Scheme
According to the finance minister, this scheme is the world’s first “universal cash transfer” program for women.
He stated that every woman above 18 years of age in Punjab will be eligible for the scheme. However, some groups will not be included. These include:
Current or former government employees
Current or former MPs and MLAs
Income tax payers
Cheema also clarified that women who already receive social security pensions—such as old-age pensions, widow pensions, or disability pensions—will still be able to benefit from this scheme.
The minister said that about 97% of adult women in Punjab are expected to benefit from the program.
₹9,300 Crore Budget Allocation
The scheme aims to improve women’s economic independence and strengthen their role in household decision-making.
It is also expected to help improve health and nutrition levels and encourage girls to pursue higher education and achieve their ambitions.
For the 2026–27 financial year, the government has allocated ₹9,300 crore to implement the scheme in a transparent and timely manner.
This is also the last budget presented by the AAP government in Punjab before the state assembly elections scheduled for early 2027.
