On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan today, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced the release of the third installment of Subhadra Yojana, distributing Rs 5,000 crore to approximately one crore women in the state.
The funds were transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the accounts of the beneficiaries at a special event in Jeypore, Koraput district.
Among the beneficiaries, 1,783 women are from Kotia panchayat in Koraput district near the Andhra Pradesh border, the CM said.
The Chief Minister highlighted the scheme’s success, stating that all eligible women have been covered in just six and a half months since its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17 of the previous year.
The program, Majhi noted, has become the state’s largest women’s empowerment initiative, helping lakhs of women become economically independent and start their own businesses.
“To make women economically independent, our government came up with this scheme,” he said.
ଆଜି ଜୟପୁରଠାରେ ସୁଭଦ୍ରା ଯୋଜନାର ଦ୍ଵିତୀୟ ବର୍ଷର ପ୍ରଥମ କିସ୍ତି ବଣ୍ଟନ ଅବସରରେ ମା ଓ ଭଉଣୀମାନଙ୍କ ଉତ୍ସାହ ଦେଖି ଅତ୍ୟନ୍ତ ଖୁସି ଅନୁଭବ କଲି । ସୁଭଦ୍ରା ଯୋଜନା ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ମହିଳାମାନଙ୍କ ସଶକ୍ତିକରଣ ପାଇଁ ଏକ ସୁଚିନ୍ତିତ ଦୃଢ଼ ପଦକ୍ଷେପ । ଏହି ଯୋଜନାର ମୂଳ ଲକ୍ଷ୍ୟ ହେଉଛି ମହିଳାମାନଙ୍କୁ ସାମାଜିକ ସୁରକ୍ଷା ଓ ଆର୍ଥିକ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା… pic.twitter.com/BvE45jUcnw
— Mohan Charan Majhi (@MohanMOdisha) August 9, 2025
Majhi also pointed out that the Subhadra Scheme has contributed to the creation of 17 lakh “Lakhpati Didis” as part of a nationwide program envisioned by the Prime Minister.
Odisha has now secured the first position in the country for creating the maximum number of ‘Lakhpati Didis’, Majhi informed.
During the event, CM Majhi reaffirmed his government’s commitment to developing southern Odisha, a region that has been underdeveloped for decades. In a significant move, Majhi announced that the government had decided to set up the South Odisha Development Council (SODC), which will mirror the successful Western Odisha Development Council (WODC).
A task force, headed by Minister Nityananda Gond, has been established with a budget of Rs 200 crore to accelerate development in the region, the CM added.
Responding to a request from local MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, who belong to the Congress party, the Chief Minister assured that a Vande Bharat train would soon connect Jeypore to Bhubaneswar.
The CM informed that his government was making efforts to revive the closed Jeypore paper mill and the establishment of a new degree college.
In addition to the Subhadra Scheme distribution, Majhi inaugurated 126 projects worth Rs 309.42 crore and laid the foundation stones for 436 new projects to be executed for around Rs 452 crore.
The event was attended by Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, along with several other ministers, including Bibhuti Jena, Nityananda Gond and Gokulananda Mallik and local MP and MLA.
Subhadra Yojana
The Subhadra Yojana is welfare scheme designed to provide financial assistance to eligible women aged 21 to 60 years with Rs 50,000 over five years, from 2024-25 to 2028-29, helping them achieve financial independence and support their families.
Each beneficiary will receive Rs 10,000 per year in two installments of Rs 5,000 each, one on Rakhi Purnima, and the other on International Women’s Day (March 8).
