PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Subhadra Yojana, a women-focused initiative by the Odisha government
OdishaPlus Bureau
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Subhadra Yojana, a women-focused initiative by the Odisha government, and announced railway and national highway projects valued at over ₹3,800 crore in the state. This visit, coinciding with his 74th birthday, marks his first trip to Odisha since attending the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on June 12.
Arriving at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Odisha around 11 am, PM Modi expressed his enthusiasm on social media, stating, “Leaving for Bhubaneswar. It is very special to be among the wonderful people of Odisha to launch SUBHADRA, an important scheme of the Odisha Government. This scheme will boost women’s empowerment and ensure financial independence for our Nari Shakti. Several other works will also be launched in the program.”
Gadakana Program
Accompanied by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Modi engaged with beneficiaries of the PM Awas Yojana-Urban in Bhubaneswar, visiting various homes and addressing their concerns.
After spending approximately 30 minutes interacting with beneficiaries at the Sabar Sahi slum in Gadakan, PM Modi officially launched the highly anticipated Subhadra Yojana, which aims to benefit over 25 lakh women in the state, and introduced Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Urban 2.0, a key initiative of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
During a ceremony at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar, he distributed PMAY-Urban houses to beneficiaries, handing over keys to 35 individuals under the scheme.
In his address at the event, Modi highlighted the achievements of the PMAY scheme, stating, “A total of 26 lakh pucca houses in villages and 6 lakh pucca houses in urban areas have been constructed with essential amenities such as toilets, electricity, water and LPG connections so far.”
Subhadra Yojana
The main program was the inauguration of ‘SUBHADRA,’ the largest women-focused flagship initiative in Odisha. This program aims to assist over 1 crore women by providing eligible beneficiaries aged 21 to 60 with a total of Rs 50,000 over five years, from 2024 to 2029. The funds will be distributed in two equal annual payments of Rs 10,000, which will be directly transferred to bank accounts linked to Aadhaar and enabled for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). At the inauguration, Prime Minister Modi commenced the fund transfer to more than 10 lakh women.
Under the Subhadra initiative, all eligible women aged 21 to 60 will receive ₹50,000 over 5 years, spanning from 2024-25 to 2028-29. Each beneficiary will receive ₹10,000 annually in 2 equal installments, credited directly to their bank accounts. During the event, over ₹1,250 crores were disbursed to the bank accounts of more than 25 lakh women beneficiaries under the Subhadra scheme, with approximately 76 lakh women having registered for the program thus far.
PMAY-U 2.0
On August 9 of this year, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the PMAY-U 2.0 initiative. This ambitious program aims to construct 1 crore homes for urban poor and middle-class families across various demographic segments over the next five years, with a total investment of Rs 10 lakh crore and a government subsidy amounting to Rs 2.30 lakh crore.
PMAY-U 2.0 is designed to provide financial support to urban poor and middle-class families for the construction, purchase, or rental of affordable housing in urban areas. This initiative is in line with the Government of India’s vision to ensure that every citizen has access to a permanent home, thereby improving their overall quality of life.
Particular emphasis will be placed on marginalized communities, such as slum residents, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities, widows, individuals with disabilities, and other disadvantaged segments of society. Furthermore, specific support will be extended to groups including Safai Karmacharis, street vendors, artisans, Anganwadi workers and inhabitants of slums and chawls under this initiative.
Rail Projects
The PMAY-U 2.0 program is available to families classified within the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Low Income Group (LIG), and Middle Income Group (MIG) categories who do not possess a pucca house anywhere in the nation.
The Prime Minister has laid the foundation stone and inaugurated railway projects exceeding Rs 2,800 crore, which are designed to enhance Odisha’s rail infrastructure and improve regional connectivity. Additionally, he inaugurated National Highway projects valued at more than Rs 1,000 crore.
