Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday said Rs 1,262.54 crore was being transferred directly into the bank accounts of 36.87 lakh women under the state government’s Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna.The amount constitutes the second instalment under the scheme and covers October, November and December, Mann said while addressing a function at Khandoor Sahib. Each beneficiary would receive the three-month instalment together, he said.According to Mann, Rs 2,562.33 crore had previously been distributed among 73.99 lakh women. With the latest disbursement, the total amount transferred under the scheme has reached Rs 3,824.87 crore, he said.Mann said around 97% of women in Punjab would be eligible for the scheme and that the government had set a target of extending its benefits to one crore women. He also said there were no conditions limiting the number of eligible women in a household, meaning that if three women in a family qualified, all three could receive the assistance.The chief minister said 1.37 lakh Satkar Sakhis had helped register women under the scheme and had received more than Rs 51 crore in incentives. Anganwadi workers involved in facilitating registrations would also receive incentives totalling Rs 25 crore, he said.At the event, Mann also criticised opposition parties and said that if the Congress, BJP or Akali Dal came to power, schemes including the Satkar Yojna, free bus travel for women and free electricity would be discontinued. These were political claims made by the chief minister.Mann also targeted the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal, commenting on their internal political situation. He said the Congress had fewer workers but more leaders aspiring to become chief minister and alleged that the Akali Dal had misused religion.Referring to the state government’s performance since 2022, Mann claimed that Punjab had moved from 27th to first position in school education according to the Centre’s assessment. He said the government had established smart classrooms, trained teachers and recruited non-teaching staff.On medical education, Mann said around 30 lakh students appear for NEET every year and claimed that the number of students from Punjab’s government schools clearing the examination had risen from 80 when he took office to 882 this year. He said the state had introduced free coaching for government-school students.
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Mann also said the government would open new centres for UPSC preparation to help students from Punjab prepare for the civil services.On power supply, the chief minister said eligible households were receiving 300 units of free electricity each month. He also said the state government had purchased the Goindwal Sahib Thermal Power Plant for Rs 1,080 crore.Mann said farmers were receiving daytime electricity for agricultural use and claimed that 14,000 kilometres of pipelines had been laid to take canal water to fields.He also said the pace of development in Punjab would increase between 2027 and 2032 as projects undertaken during the current government’s tenure begin to show results.Cabinet minister Harbhajan Singh ETO and others were present at the event.
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