Marking a historic step towards women’s economic empowerment, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced that the countdown for the Maavan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna has begun, with the first installment of three months’ Satkar Rashi set to be credited directly into the bank accounts of eligible women on July 1. Under the scheme, Dalit mothers and sisters will receive ₹4,500, while women from all other categories will get ₹3,000.
During a Lok Milni programme after inaugurating various development works in Village Chanarthal Kalan of Fatehgarh Sahib constituency, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said the initiative reflects the AAP Government’s commitment to ensuring dignity, financial security, and social empowerment for women, adding that the assistance will continue uninterrupted as long as the AAP Government remains in Punjab.
Addressing the Lok Milni in Fatehgarh Sahib,CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated, “After nine days, on July 1, women beneficiaries above the age of 18 years will receive notifications on their mobile phones informing them about the financial assistance being credited to their accounts. Women belonging to the general category will receive ₹1,000 per month while Scheduled Caste women will receive ₹1,500 per month. The money will be transferred directly into their bank accounts without any middlemen. Women who are already receiving social security pensions will also be eligible under the scheme. Nearly 97% women in Punjab are expected to benefit from this initiative and the Punjab Government has made a budgetary provision of ₹9,300 crore for it.”
The Chief Minister stated, “This financial assistance may not make women rich, but it will certainly give them dignity, self-respect and confidence. Women deserve the highest respect because they are the source of life itself. The blessings of mothers and sisters help overcome every challenge in the world. Strengthening women’s financial autonomy is essential for improving household welfare, promoting gender equity and enhancing women’s participation in social and economic decision-making. When women become financially empowered, families prosper and society moves forward.”
Speaking on another issue, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The Punjab Government will not allow any genuine vote to be deleted during the ongoing SIR exercise by the Election Commission of India. I want to caution the people that the BJP may try to misuse the SIR process to delete valid votes, as has happened in other poll-bound states. However, we are fully vigilant and will not allow the nefarious designs of the saffron party to succeed. Every genuine voter in Punjab will be protected.”
Taking on the Akali Dal leadership, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Sukhbir Singh Badal is not aware of the ground realities of Punjab because throughout his life he has lived in a secure environment surrounded by luxuries and opulence. He wants to attain political power in Punjab, but he is not even aware of the basic topography of the state.”
“Leaving everything aside, the former Deputy Chief Minister cannot even differentiate between the basic crops grown in Punjab. He has very little understanding of the issues concerning ordinary people. Someone who does not understand Punjab cannot provide leadership to Punjab,” said CM Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Taking another swipe at the Akali leadership, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “When they were in power, they never showed any sincerity in enacting such a law. The truth is that their intentions were flawed. Sacrilege incidents occurred during their tenure and they failed to provide justice. They allowed such incidents to take place because they wanted political gains from them.”
“They admitted their mistakes before Sri Akal Takht Sahib but later denied them publicly. Those who can lie before the Takht can never be loyal to anyone. The people must remain cautious of such leaders whose only objective is to attain power and plunder the state,” he added.
The Chief Minister further said, “The Akalis misused religion for their vested interests. The Jathedars are appointed from the pockets of the Akalis and therefore many of them are indulging in politics. These people have no agenda for Punjab. Their sole objective is to defame me by hook or by crook. However, the people know their true character and will never be swayed by such theatrics.”
Turning his attention towards the Congress, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The Congress party is on its deathbed and will soon become irrelevant because it has neither a vision for Punjab nor a roadmap for the future. Its only objective is to assume power and plunder the wealth of the state, but that dream will never be fulfilled.”
“The Congress is a divided house. It is collapsing because of its own infighting. The irony is that senior Congress leaders who come to Punjab to unite these squabbling factions are not even aware of how to pronounce the names of the leaders they are trying to reconcile. Such is the condition of the party today,” he added.