Punjab’s AAP administration marked International Women’s Day with the launch of ‘Mukhyamantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana’ in the 2026-27 budget speech by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. Targeting 97% of adult women, it offers ₹1,000 monthly to general category and ₹1,500 to SC women via DBT, allocating ₹9,300 crore from a ₹2,60,437 crore kitty.
Eligibility spans most over-18s, exempting high-profile exclusions while embracing pensioners. Cheema’s fifth budget stresses fiscal health – 2.06% revenue gap, 4.08% deficit – blending welfare with sustainability.
Assembly gallery hosted dignitaries like Mann family women, amplifying the occasion. AAP’s deliverables in utilities, education, health set the stage for this ‘unprecedented’ empowerment push.
Cheema invoked Mann’s vision: nations thrive via empowered women. Benefits? Financial freedom, stronger household roles, better health outcomes, educational leaps for girls.
He critiqued limited peer schemes, vowing Punjab’s inclusivity. Vividly, he envisioned self-reliant women – buying books, coaching, treats – with Mann as symbolic provider.
Free transport endures, its massive usage proving efficacy. This scheme positions Punjab as pioneer in universal women aid, promising ripple effects on economy and equity.