Financial Assistance Provided to 4,443 Beneficiaries Across 15 Districts
₹51,000 Per Beneficiary Transferred Directly Through DBT
Chandigarh, November 27:
Punjab Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur announced that under the Ashirwad Scheme the Punjab Government has released ₹22.66 crore in the current financial year 2025–26 to provide financial assistance to 4,443 beneficiaries from Scheduled Castes across the State.
Sharing further details, the Minister said that eligible applications were received via the Ashirwad Portal from 15 districts — Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Mansa, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Patiala, Pathankot, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, Sangrur and Malerkotla. To cover these approved applications, an amount of ₹22.66 crore has been sanctioned and released.
Dr. Baljit Kaur added that assistance has been extended to 1,297 beneficiaries in Amritsar, 18 in Barnala, 138 in Bathinda, 748 in Ferozepur, 394 in Gurdaspur, 105 in Hoshiarpur, 470 in Jalandhar, 309 in Mansa, 239 in Sri Muktsar Sahib, 52 in Patiala, 347 in Pathankot, 38 in Rupnagar, 17 in SAS Nagar, 122 in Sangrur and 149 in Malerkotla (total 4,443).
The Minister further stated that under the Ashirwad Scheme the Punjab Government provides ₹51,000 for the marriage of girls from low-income families. To be eligible, applicants must be permanent residents of Punjab, meet the Below Poverty Line (BPL) criteria and belong to Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes or Economically Weaker Sections. A maximum of two eligible daughters per family may receive the benefit under this scheme.
Dr. Baljit Kaur informed that the assistance amount is transferred directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system to ensure transparency and timely disbursement.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment, she said that under the leadership of Chief Minister S.Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is continuously working to uplift weaker and marginalised sections of society and ensure dignity, equality and economic empowerment for all.
