BHUBANESWAR : The Odisha government has made inclusion and exclusion criteria of its first pro-women initiative - Subhadra Yojana, which allows beneficiaries to avail the benefits whenever they become eligible during next five years.
Official sources said this flexibility will help cover more eligible beneficiaries under the scheme that is aimed at empowering women financially in coming years. In the state Assembly on Friday, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had announced that Subhadra scheme will cover nearly 1 crore women, aged between 21 and 60 years. As per the eligibility criteria approved by the state Cabinet, if a woman, who is now 20-year-old and attains 21 years of age the next year, will be eligible to avail financial assistance under the scheme and the women, who crossed 60 years as of July 1, 2024, will be excluded.
“Subhadra portal will be launched soon and there will be a window to apply for the scheme every year. Though it was planned to include one woman per family, the Cabinet decided to extend it to all eligible women members. More than one per family if eligible can avail the assistance,” sources said. Beneficiaries can apply for the scheme by filling up the forms that will be available free of cost at Anganwadi centres, block offices and Jan Seva Kendras (common service centres).
The date of birth (DoB) of the applicants must not be earlier than July 2, 1964, and not later than July 1, 2003. DoB recorded in Aadhaar card would be taken as the final date for the calculation of age. Women with a family income of over Rs 2.5 lakh and not covered under the national or state food security schemes are ineligible for Subhadra. Elected public representatives in urban local body (ULB) and panchayat (PRI) will be excluded, but ward members and councillors are eligible for the scheme. Employees, regular or contractual, in the state government and Centre, PSU, board or local body and those receiving pension after retirement are ineligible.
However, workers receiving honorarium and those engaged through outsourcing agencies would be considered, if otherwise eligible. Similarly, elected, nominated or appointed representatives in any government or PSU or board, owners of more than 5 acres of irrigated land or 10 acres of non-irrigated land and four-wheeler motor vehicle can not avail the scheme.