Shimla, November 14

With the Congress government approaching the completion of four years in office and entering the final year of its five-year tenure, the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet has moved to extend the Mukhyamantri Apna Parivar Sukhiji Parivar Yojana scheme to nearly 3.50 lakh women across the state. The proposed beneficiaries, aged between 18 and 59 years, will receive financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month under the scheme.

The framework for extending the scheme was discussed at the Council of Ministers meeting held on Friday, which decided to formulate fresh rules and eligibility conditions for its implementation. The government intends to finalise the guidelines before the fourth-anniversary celebrations scheduled for December 10.

Industry Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan and Education Minister Rohit Thakur announced the decision during a joint Cabinet briefing, stating that a survey had identified approximately 3.50 lakh eligible women who would be covered under the proposed expansion.

In an additional welfare commitment, the government announced that families of these women would also be entitled to 300 units of free electricity and health insurance coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh for treatment of various diseases.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of persistent criticism from the Opposition BJP, which has accused the Congress government of failing to implement its ten electoral guarantees during nearly four years in office. The Rs 1,500 monthly assistance to women was among the most prominent promises made by the Congress ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections.

Although the government introduced the scheme in Lahaul-Spiti district, its implementation remained restricted to the tribal district, leaving women in the rest of Himachal Pradesh awaiting the promised financial assistance. The latest Cabinet decision seeks to address this gap by identifying beneficiaries through a survey and preparing a common framework for extending the scheme across the state.

The Congress had made ten guarantees before the Assembly elections, including restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, Rs 1,500 monthly assistance to women, 300 units of free electricity, employment opportunities and other welfare commitments. The restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for government employees has been implemented, while several other promises have faced questions over their coverage, implementation and timelines.

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The BJP has repeatedly targeted the Sukhu government over what it describes as the non-fulfilment of the Congress guarantees, particularly the financial assistance promised to women. The government is now seeking to place the proposed expansion of the scheme among its achievements ahead of the fourth-anniversary celebrations.

The December 10 event will mark four years of the Congress government, leaving it with the final year of its present five-year mandate. The decision to frame fresh rules before the anniversary is therefore politically relevant, as the ruling party faces the challenge of demonstrating progress on its electoral commitments while the Opposition continues to question its performance.

However, the proposed coverage of 3.50 lakh women will become operational only after the government finalises the rules, issues the necessary notification and establishes the mechanism for disbursement of monthly assistance.

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