Punjab cabinet approves scheme giving financial assistance to women, to be launched on April 13
The scheme is expected to benefit more than 97% of women
The Punjab cabinet on Sunday took several key decisions, including approving the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana in the state.
The scheme will ensure a monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to women and Rs 1,500 to women from Scheduled Castes.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Announcing this, the Chief Minister’s Office said, “The Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana announced in the Budget will be launched on April 13. The scheme will have a monumental effect on the uplift of women by making them independent and empowering them.”
The scheme is expected to benefit more than 97% of women, making it one of the most comprehensive women-centric social protection initiatives in the country.
The scheme represents a landmark step towards ensuring direct economic support to women across the state. The scheme has been designed as a Direct Benefit Transfer initiative, under which financial assistance will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
There will be no restriction on the number of eligible women in a family who may avail benefits under the scheme, and existing social security pensioners will also continue to receive full financial benefits under the scheme in addition to their pensions.
Women aged 18 or above, registered as a voter in Punjab and possessing an Aadhaar card reflecting Punjab residency along with a Voter ID issued by the Election Commission, shall be eligible to be enrolled as beneficiaries.
To ensure effective last-mile delivery, the government will undertake extensive outreach and enrolment efforts, including mobilisation support to assist women in completing documentation, activating bank accounts and ensuring seamless registration, particularly in rural areas.
Rs 9,300 crore has been sanctioned in the Budget for 2026-27 and, given the scale and outreach of the scheme, it is expected to become one of the largest women-centric social welfare initiatives undertaken by the Punjab government.
The cabinet also approved filling 70 direct posts in the Department of Planning. The process for merger of the Economic Policy and Planning Board and the Directorate of Statistics has already been initiated. In view of this exercise, the requirement on vacant posts to be filled has been revised. So the approval was given to fill 70 posts of direct recruitment by the Officers’ Committee.
The Cabinet also approved amending the 'Terms regarding qualifications and experience required for the appointment of Chairman-cum-Managing Directors and Directors' of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited.
The cabinet also gave the green signal to appoint statutory manpower and supporting staff by PSPCL on contractual basis for operation and maintenance of the Pachhwara Central Coal Mine in Jharkhand. It was decided to constitute an Empowered Committee comprising Administrative Secretary as Chairman and Chairman-cum-Managing Director and Director/Generation, PSPCL, as members.
The empowered committee was authorised to give all approvals pertaining to recruitment and extension in contractual engagement of statutory manpower/supporting staff for the operation and maintenance of the Pachhwara Central Coal Mine.
The cabinet also okayed amendments in the policy for conversion of leasehold industrial plots/sheds to freehold. According to it, industrial plots mortgaged with banks or financial institutions shall be eligible for conversion to freehold, subject to submission of an NOC from the bank concerned and compliance with prescribed safeguards.
A conversion fee of 5 per cent shall be applicable where the current title documents do not contain any clause relating to unearned increase, irrespective of its presence in earlier title documents.
The cabinet also gave the nod to introduce the Punjab Common Infrastructure (Regulation and Maintenance) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to comprehensively reform the Punjab Common Infrastructure (Regulation and Maintenance) Act, 2012, to strengthen the effectiveness, transparency and financial sustainability of Special Purpose Vehicles for better management of industrial areas across Punjab.
The cabinet also approved relaxing the conditions for desilting in the Sutlej to provide simple earth to the National Highways Authority of India for the construction of various highway projects in the state.
