Haryana Launches Women Empowerment Scheme, Pushes Data-Driven Governance and Cooperative Reforms
SDG 5: Gender Equality | SDG 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
Institutions: Government of Haryana | Ministry of Women & Child Development
On 25 September 2025, Haryana marked Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jayanti with major governance and welfare announcements. Chief Minister launched the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana, under which women aged 23–60 years from families earning less than ₹1 lakh annually will receive ₹2,100 per month via DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer). Nearly 20 lakh women are expected to benefit in the first phase, with a budget of ₹5,000 crore for FY 2025–26. A mobile application and helplines have been launched to ensure seamless, transparent enrolment, eliminating the need to visit government offices.
Alongside, the Chief Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation for ₹326 crore worth of projects, mostly in health infrastructure. The state also unveiled the Lado Sakhi initiative for maternal and child health, incentives for girl child births, and measures to expand women’s representation in Panchayats and economic programmes.
At the 29th Conference of Central and State Statistical Organisations, the CM announced an investment of ₹474 crore under the Haryana AI Development Project (2025–28), including a Global AI Centre in Gurugram and an Advanced Computing Facility in Panchkula. He highlighted the state’s database system Mera Parivar Meri Pehchan as a model for targeted welfare delivery.
In the cooperative sector, the Haryana State Cooperative Apex Bank Ltd. (HARCO Bank) emphasised rapid computerisation of PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) to improve transparency, integrate with district banks, and support new revenue lines such as Jan Aushadhi Kendras and fuel outlets.
Haryana’s announcements show a three-pronged governance thrust: (1) direct cash transfers to women as a social and economic empowerment tool; (2) data-driven governance and AI adoption for local-level decision-making; and (3) revamping cooperatives (PACS) to align with national priorities of Sahkar se Samriddhi. Together, these reflect a model of state-level governance where welfare, technology, and cooperative reforms are pursued simultaneously to advance Antyodaya and Viksit Bharat goals.
What are PACS?
Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) are the village-level cooperatives that form the grassroots of India’s rural credit system. They provide small farmers with short- and medium-term loans for seeds, fertilisers, and farm inputs. Linked upward to district and state cooperative banks, PACS are increasingly being modernised to also run medicine depots, fertiliser centres, fuel outlets, and digital service centres, making them vital for rural finance and service delivery.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
What are the best practices for digitizing cooperative institutions to improve rural financial inclusion and governance in India?
Follow the full news here: https://prharyana.gov.in/en/press-note-195