A monthly cash transfer, free electricity, and a wider eligibility net — Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced on Friday, 16 October 2026 a new state welfare scheme called 'Mukhyamantri Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana' ('Chief Minister — My Family, Happy Family Scheme'), targeting the most economically vulnerable households in the hill state.

What the scheme promises: cash, power, and a broader door

The scheme will deliver ₹1,500 per month in direct cash assistance and 300 free electricity units monthly to 3 lakh (300,000) families across Himachal Pradesh. The cash component will be disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), the national digital payment backbone that routes subsidies straight to bank accounts, cutting out middlemen entirely.

The headline policy decision is the income ceiling. Sukhu is raising the annual income limit for eligibility from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000 — a 50 percent hike that brings an estimated larger cohort of struggling families inside the scheme's perimeter. He pointedly noted that the prevailing income cap across the rest of the country remains at ₹50,000, framing Himachal Pradesh's relaxed threshold as a deliberate, state-specific push beyond the national benchmark.

DBT, e-governance, and Lokmitra Centres as delivery backbone

Implementation will run through three channels: DBT for bank transfers, e-governance platforms, and Lokmitra Centres — the network of citizen-service delivery points that Himachal Pradesh has operated across its hilly districts to bridge the digital-access gap for rural residents. The Lokmitra infrastructure is designed precisely for populations in remote terrain, where physical access to government offices is difficult, making it a logical last-mile conduit for enrolment and grievance redressal.

The Sukhu government, in power since December 2022, has consistently used DBT-linked cash transfers to expand its welfare footprint, following a broader national pattern established since 2013 when the central DBT architecture was first introduced. Himachal Pradesh has also historically run electricity subsidy programmes for lower-income households — the new scheme scales that precedent significantly.

What the eligibility expansion signals

Raising the income ceiling above the national standard is a consequential choice. In a state defined by its mountainous geography, seasonal livelihoods, and limited industrial base, a household earning just over ₹50,000 a year may still face genuine energy poverty and food insecurity. By pegging the limit at ₹75,000, the state government is explicitly acknowledging that the national poverty line does not map cleanly onto Himachal Pradesh's cost-of-living and livelihood realities.

The questions that will define the scheme's success are now practical: how quickly will beneficiary lists be finalised, when will the first DBT disbursements hit accounts, and what will the annual budget outlay look like in upcoming state budget documents? The assembly will be the first stress-test for those numbers.

Three lakh families, a higher income bar, free power, and a direct cash line to the bank. CM Sukhu has drawn a clear line between what Himachal Pradesh is willing to guarantee its poorest households and what the rest of the country currently offers — the delivery apparatus will now have to match the promise.