PM Modi to launch Odisha govt’s flagship ‘Subhadra’ welfare scheme on birthday

Bhubaneswar, Sep 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the ‘Subhadra Yojana’, the flagship programme of Odisha’s newly elected BJP government which is expected to benefit over one crore women of the state, on Tuesday. Tuesday will also mark his 74th birthday. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday reviewed security and other related arrangements at Janata Maidan, the venue of the event, where a large number of women are likely to be present, and officials were busy on Monday in giving final touches to the elaborate arrangements. As per the schedule, PM Modi, who is currently in Gujarat, is likely to reach the Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar at 10.50 a.m. on Tuesday. The Prime Minister will first go to the Gadakana Basti where he will interact with the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), a flagship scheme implemented by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), from 11.15 a.m. to 11.45 a.m. He is scheduled to reach Janata Maidan at 11.55 a.m. to launch the much-awaited ‘Subhadra Yojana’, cleared by the state Cabinet last month, under which eligible women beneficiaries, between the age group of 21 and 60 years, will receive a total of Rs 50,000 in the next five years. The state government will annually deposit Rs 10,000, in two instalments of Rs 5,000 each on Rakhi Purnima and International Women’s Day (March 8), in the accounts of the beneficiaries through DBT for five years – between financial years 2024-25 and 2028-29. The state government has earmarked Rs 55,825 crore for the implementation of the scheme. More than 1 crore women across Odisha will be benefited under the Subhadra scheme and the beneficiaries will receive their first instalment on Tuesday. There is widespread excitement among the women over the launching of the mega scheme. A massive rush of people was witnessed at various centres across Odisha on September 4 as the process for the submission of applications to get financial assistance under the scheme began. Women applicants gathered at Anganwadi Kendras, block offices, and the Mo Seva Kendras in huge numbers to either collect the application forms or submit the duly filled forms to avail financial benefits under the scheme while several others were seen waiting outside the centres to update their Aadhar cards. Besides, PM Modi, during his Odisha visit, will also dedicate and lay the foundation stone of various developmental projects during the grand programme at Janata Maidan from 12 noon to 1 p.m. He will lay the foundation stone for various railway projects worth Rs 2,871 crore. These projects will boost rail connectivity, decongest key routes, and contribute to the socio-economic development of the region. The initiatives also aim to strengthen the vital rail network across industrial, resource-rich, and tribal-dominated regions of Odisha. During the programme at the Janata Maidan, PM Modi will distribute sanction letters to 10 lakh beneficiaries of various states, and digitally transfer the first instalment of Rs 3,180 crore directly to the bank account of the PMAY-G beneficiaries in 14 states. He will also participate in the Griha Pravesh celebrations of 26 lakh beneficiaries of PMAY (Gramin and Urban) from across the country through virtual mode. The “Awas + 2024” app will also be unveiled by the Prime Minister during the programme on Tuesday. He is scheduled to leave for New Delhi from the Bhubaneswar Airport at 1.20 p.m. Police have made elaborate security arrangements for PM Modi’s visit to the state. As many as 11 DCP rank officers, 21 Additional DCPs, 86 ACPs, 120 inspectors, 329 other officers, 81 platoons of police force and 500 home guards have been deployed for the security arrangements. Besides, three Special Tactical Units have been deployed to thwart any terrorist activities. Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams will also be present at the programme venue. Two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be engaged in the security arrangements for PM Modi.