The opposition has seized on the slow rollout of Himachal Pradesh’s Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh-Samman Nidhi Yojana, pointing out that the Congress government has spent just ₹29.12 crore of the ₹800 crore annual budget so far. For a scheme meant to put ₹1,500 a month into the accounts of more than 5 lakh women, that figure covers only a small slice of what was promised.
Of the 7.88 lakh applications submitted across the state, only 37.29 per cent—about 2,93,881 women—are actually receiving the money. That group breaks into 48,000 newly approved beneficiaries and 2,45,881 women whose existing state pensions were topped up to the ₹1,500 level. The other 62.71 per cent, roughly 4,94,119 applicants, remain on the waiting list. Officials have pre-verified and fast-tracked 2.5 lakh of them for the coming cycles; the remaining 2,44,119 files are still moving through e-KYC and land-verification checks.
The scheme is running across all 12 districts. It began as a pilot in the tribal district of Lahaul & Spiti during the high-altitude winter, then moved in phases into places such as Pangi Valley in Chamba, Dodra Kwar and Kupvi in Shimla, and the Banjar block in Kullu. Legislative approval and the funding plan cover the whole state, and officials are now extending it further into Kinnaur while preparing to include eligible daughters and daughters-in-law in widow-led households.
Eligibility rules stay strict; family income cannot exceed ₹2 lakh a year
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has defended the measured pace. “Our goal with this historical initiative is to uplift the socio-economic status of our women and grant them economic freedom and respect,” he said. “We are fulfilling our election guarantees systematically, and this scheme will cover every eligible woman transparently.”
Eligibility rules stay strict. Family income cannot exceed ₹2 lakh a year. Women or their families are disqualified if they pay income tax, are registered for GST, or hold regular, contract, or outsourced government jobs. Local body staff, military personnel, and honorarium workers such as Anganwadi, ASHA, and mid-day meal staff are also left out. Buddhist nuns living permanently in local monasteries remain eligible.
BJP state president Dr Rajeev Bindal has called the process a letdown. “This financial assistance has turned into a waiting game, and forcing millions of women to navigate endless conditions is a complete letdown,” he said. “The government is simply trying to manage public expectations while failing to deliver cleanly on the original pre-election guarantees.”
Applications are still filed on paper. Women take their Aadhaar cards and income certificates to the local Tehsil Welfare Office and wait for verification to finish before any money moves.
