Himachal Pradesh Fulfills Fifth Election Promise: Rs. 1500 per Month for Women Over 18

Himachal Pradesh Fulfills Fifth Election Promise: Rs. 1500 per Month for Women Over 18

Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, announced a key election promise fulfillment – the “Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh-Sammaan Nidhi Yojana.” This flagship program provides Rs. 1,500 per month to all women above 18 years in the state.

Key Highlights:

• Financial and Social Upliftment: The Chief Minister emphasized the scheme’s role in empowering women and uplifting their social and financial status.
• Phased Rollout: The program began in February 2024, initially benefiting women in Lahaul & Spiti and those above 60 years statewide.
• Wider Coverage: Now, all eligible women above 18 will be covered, with an estimated 5 lakh beneficiaries and an annual expenditure of over Rs. 800 crore.
• Streamlined Application Process: The government will soon initiate the application process for all eligible women to ensure swift access to benefits.

Previous Promises Delivered:

This marks the fifth election guarantee fulfilled by the government. They previously delivered on:

• Old Pension Scheme: Benefitting 1.36 lakh employees
• Rajiv Gandhi Start-up Scheme: Allocating Rs. 680 crore
• English Medium Education: Introducing English from Class 1 in government schools
• Minimum Support Price (MSP): Setting MSP for cow and buffalo milk and wheat and maize
• Natural Farming Promotion: Announcing MSP for wheat and maize, encouraging natural farming

Overcoming Challenges:

Despite economic and disaster-related challenges, the government expressed their commitment to:

• Stabilizing the Economy: Taking steps to address the state’s economic situation
• Boosting Rural Economy: Implementing initiatives to strengthen the rural economy
• Infrastructure Development: Focusing on education, healthcare, and essential services
• Job Creation: Actively working on generating employment and self-employment opportunities.