Chandigarh, March 8 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Sunday that his government had fulfilled its biggest electoral promise by launching the 'Mukhy Mantri Mawaan Dhian Satkar Yojna' to provide monthly financial assistance to women.
Under the scheme, women from the general category will receive Rs 1,000 per month, while women from Scheduled Caste communities will receive Rs 1,500, with Rs 9,300 crore earmarked in the state budget for its implementation.
Mann said the AAP government's 'Saari Guarantiyan Puri' budget delivers on its poll promises by expanding welfare measures such as free bus travel, free power, and cashless healthcare to empower women.
Interacting with the media here, Mann congratulated the women of Punjab on International Women's Day.
He said special camps will be organized across the state so that women can easily complete the formalities required to avail the benefit of the scheme.
The registration process for the financial assistance scheme will begin from the upcoming Baisakhi and will be carried out on a war footing, he said.
Every woman above 18 will be entitled to receive the benefit under the scheme, he said. "This is not merely a budget, but an affidavit of the progress of the state and the prosperity of its people," he said.
Taking a dig at previous governments, Mann said earlier budgets often remained confined to announcements on paper and failed to deliver meaningful benefits to the people. Budgets were limited to rhetoric and poetic references rather than concrete policies aimed at improving the lives of citizens, he added.
"Cashless treatment, free bus travel, free power, Rs 1,000 per month, and other initiatives will empower women and strengthen their role in society," he said, listing his government's schemes.
"We have no dearth of money as our intentions are clear," he said.
