The Odisha government recently released the first installment of Rs 5,000 to more than 40 lakh women under its flagship Subhadra Yojana on October 9. This cash transfer initiative, aimed at supporting women, promises to provide financial aid of Rs 10,000 annually. At first glance, the programme appears to be a lifeline for women facing economic hardship. But will this short-term financial relief lead to genuine empowerment? Can small, periodic cash transfers address the deeper issues that women in Odisha face—such as the persistent gender wage gap, lack of access to healthcare and education, and the overwhelming dominance of informal labour?
Key questions arise about the programme’s potential for success: How will this initiative ensure that women retain control over the funds? What mechanisms are in place to prevent the misuse of cash transfers by male household members? Can a programme that does not address education, healthcare, or skill development actually lift women out of poverty? More importantly, does Subhadra Yojana risk becoming another temporary solution that offers political gains but fails to address systemic issues?
This limited financial relief does little to address the structural barriers that have kept women, especially in Odisha, trapped in low-wage, informal jobs without pathways to economic mobility. Data from the state’s 2024 Economic Survey paints a grim picture. An overwhelming 94 per cent of women in Odisha work in the informal sector, including agricultural labour, domestic work, and small-scale handicrafts. These jobs offer low wages and no job security, keeping women in precarious economic situations. While Subhadra Yojana offers financial aid, it fails to tackle the root causes of this informality, including gender wage gaps and a lack of access to social protections like healthcare and pensions.
Women earn 20-30 per cent less than men in non-agricultural sectors, and in agriculture, the disparity can be as wide as 50 per cent. Cash transfers alone cannot rectify such systemic inequities. The Rs 5,000 disbursed under Subhadra Yojana is more likely to be consumed by household expenses than invested in entrepreneurial ventures or skills training.
Odisha already has a shining example of a women’s empowerment programme: Mission Shakti. Launched in 2001, this initiative has empowered millions of women through a holistic approach that integrates financial support with skills development, credit access, and market linkages. Mission Shakti’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) provide microloans ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000, along with financial literacy and entrepreneurial training, enabling women to start and grow their businesses.
In stark contrast, Subhadra Yojana’s Rs 10,000 annual cash transfer offers little in the way of long-term empowerment. Without access to larger capital, financial training, or support systems, these small, periodic transfers are unlikely to translate into meaningful economic independence.
The success of Mission Shakti proves that financial empowerment requires more than just money. Women need access to skill-building opportunities, credit facilities, and mentorship to break free from cycles of poverty and exclusion. Subhadra Yojana, by focusing on direct benefit transfers without these supporting structures, risks offering only temporary relief rather than sustainable change.
Rather than introducing a truly innovative model of empowerment, Subhadra Yojana seems like a duplication of efforts already made by Mission Shakti. However, the latter provides a more comprehensive support system, offering financial assistance alongside capacity-building tools that foster long-term economic empowerment. In comparison, Subhadra Yojana’s small cash transfers risk being a short-term fix rather than a stepping stone towards real social and economic transformation.
For Subhadra Yojana to achieve its goal of empowering women, Odisha’s policymakers must make critical reforms and integrate the scheme with Mission Shakti and other successful programmes. There is a need to utilise Mission Shakti’s networks to provide Subhadra Yojana beneficiaries with access to vocational training, enabling them to transition into higher-paying jobs. The scheme should also provide women access to credit, entrepreneurial training, and market linkages through SHGs to multiply the impact of cash transfers. Aligning Subhadra Yojana with maternal health programmes could help lower the maternal mortality rate (MMR) and improve women’s workforce participation. Additionally, investing in training that equips women with the tools needed for modern employment and entrepreneurship, and integrating Subhadra Yojana with wage advocacy programmes, particularly in non-agricultural sectors, could reduce the persistent gender wage disparity.
While well-meaning, Subhadra Yojana falls short of addressing the deep-rooted systemic issues that prevent women from fully participating in Odisha’s economy. Without reforms that tackle health, education, and wage inequality, the scheme risks becoming a political tool rather than a genuine empowerment strategy. By integrating Subhadra Yojana with Mission Shakti and focusing on long-term support, the Odisha government has the opportunity to transform it into a programme that not only provides financial relief but also fosters sustained, holistic empowerment for women.
The author is the Director, AF Development Care, New Delhi, India. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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