Himachal’s ₹1,500 Allowance Scheme: Aid for 3.5 Lakh Women, Who Will Be Benefited?

HP CM Sukhvinder Sukhu Announced Mukhya Mantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana

The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government approved the Mukhya Mantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana at a Cabinet meeting in Shimla. It comes about a year before the Assembly elections and fulfills part of the Congress’s 2022 pre-poll guarantee of ₹1,500 a month for adult women. So far, 3.5 lakh women have been shortlisted for the scheme.

What Are the Benefits of Himachal’s ₹1,500 Allowance Scheme?

• Monthly aid: Eligible women get ₹1,500 every month.
• Free electricity: Their families get 300 units of free power each month.
• Cost to the state: The cash aid adds about ₹52.5 crore a month, or ₹630 crore a year, before counting the electricity subsidy.

The promise was originally 300 free units for every household. Under this scheme, the benefit goes only to identified families.

Eligibility for Himachal’s ₹1,500 Allowance Scheme

• Women aged 18 to 59 years can receive the aid.
• Women above 60 already get ₹1,500 a month under the state’s social security pension.
• Families with members who draw a government salary or pension were excluded under the earlier Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana, launched in March 2024. Just over 30,000 women benefited in its first year.

Why Is the Scheme Limited to Selected Women?

An official said the government lacks the funds to cover everyone. The 2026-27 Budget estimates show a fiscal deficit of ₹9,698 crore (3.5% of GSDP) and liabilities of about ₹1 lakh crore. Salaries, pensions, and interest take nearly 88% of revenue receipts, leaving little room for new schemes.