Chandigarh- Punjab’s Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment, and Minorities, Dr. Baljit Kaur, announced today that under the Ashirwad Scheme, the State Government has released an amount of ₹13.43 crore for 2, 634 beneficiaries belonging to backward and economically weaker sections during the current financial year 2025–26.
Sharing further details, the Minister said that this financial assistance will benefit applicants from 15 districts including Amritsar, Barnala, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Patiala, Pathankot, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, Sangrur, Malerkotla, and Tarn Taran. The funds have been disbursed based on the applications received through the Ashirwad Portal.
Dr. Kaur informed that through this disbursement, 699 beneficiaries in Amritsar, 38 in Barnala, 46 in Faridkot, 96 in Fatehgarh Sahib, 91 in Gurdaspur, 225 in Hoshiarpur, 343 in Ludhiana, 70 in Sri Muktsar Sahib, 357 in Patiala, 72 in Pathankot, 301 in Rupnagar, 46 in SAS Nagar, 55 in Sangrur, 38 in Malerkotla, and 157 in Tarn Taran have received financial support.
She further stated that under the Ashirwad Scheme, a financial assistance of ₹51, 000 is provided for the marriage of daughters belonging to low-income families. This amount is transferred directly to the beneficiary’s bank account through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
To avail of the scheme, the applicant must be a permanent resident of Punjab and belong to a family that is below the poverty line and categorized under Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes, or other economically weaker sections. The annual family income must be below ₹32, 790, and a maximum of two daughters from a single family are eligible to receive this benefit.
In conclusion, Dr. Baljit Kaur reiterated that under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government remains committed to strengthening social justice and uplifting the living standards of every section of society.