Punjab to roll out ₹1,000 monthly payment for women
Punjab's AAP government is moving quickly to roll out its long-promised ₹1,000 monthly payment for all women aged 18 and up.
The plan—first announced in 2022—is now set to feature in the March 2026-27 budget, which is expected to be presented in March 2026 and will be the government's last budget before the March 2027 Vidhan Sabha elections.
This comes just after the Supreme Court called out states for offering "freebies" ahead of polls.
Funding the scheme
The scheme could benefit a huge number of women but comes with a hefty price tag: around ₹1,000-1,300 crore each month.
Punjab plans to fund this using money from land auctions in Greater Mohali and by taking on more loans, with the state having borrowed ₹18,268.91 crore in the first three quarters of the current fiscal and potentially raising another ₹12,000 crore by March.
With Haryana and Himachal Pradesh running similar programs (offering even higher payouts), Punjab's move highlights a wider trend—but also raises questions about how sustainable these big promises really are for the state's finances.
Final approval rests with AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.