The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand announced on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is transferring financial assistance to 488 single women beneficiaries under two phases of the Mukhyamantri Ekal Mahila Swarozgar Yojana, a state self-employment scheme targeting economically vulnerable women.

What Was Announced

Under the scheme's second phase, 212 new beneficiaries are receiving more than Rs 15 lakh in direct financial transfers. Simultaneously, 276 women from the first phase — referred to as matrishakti (mother-force) — are receiving a combined sum of more than Rs 1 crore. The Chief Minister's Office quoted Dhami as saying: 'Today, under the second phase of the Chief Minister Single Women Self-Employment scheme, more than Rs 15 lakh is being transferred to 212 new beneficiary women, and more than Rs 1 crore to 276 matrishakti of the first phase.'

Context

The Mukhyamantri Ekal Mahila Swarozgar Yojana is a Uttarakhand state initiative designed to provide direct financial assistance to single women — including widows, deserted women, and others without a male earning member — to support self-employment and livelihood creation. The scheme operates through phased rollouts, with each phase onboarding new cohorts of beneficiaries while continuing support for earlier ones.

Policy Backdrop

Indian states have steadily expanded direct-benefit self-employment schemes for women since the mid-2010s, often building on national frameworks such as Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). Uttarakhand, with its large hill-area population and significant proportion of households headed by women due to male out-migration, has made women's economic inclusion a stated priority under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who has held office since 2021. State-level schemes such as this one are designed to complement, not replace, central transfers by targeting groups that may fall outside broader eligibility criteria.

Stakeholders and Impact

The immediate beneficiaries are 488 single women across Uttarakhand, spanning both rural and semi-urban areas. For the 212 second-phase recipients, this marks their first formal entry into the scheme's support structure. The 276 first-phase beneficiaries receiving the larger, consolidated transfer of over Rs 1 crore represent women who have already been engaged with the programme and are receiving continued or enhanced support. Women's self-help groups and rural livelihood networks are likely channels through which beneficiaries are identified and onboarded.

What's Next

The announcement of a second phase signals that the scheme is being scaled up, with the government likely to introduce further phases in subsequent months. Observers will watch whether the 2026-27 state budget carries enhanced allocations for the programme, and whether the beneficiary base expands to cover more districts in the state's remote hill regions. The pace of direct-benefit transfers and the addition of new cohorts will be a marker of the scheme's operational reach.