A state-wide survey is already underway, the income ceiling has just been pushed higher, and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has now put a number on what comes next — ₹1,500 every month, deposited directly into the bank accounts of every daughter above 21 years of age in eligible families across the state.

Higher income bar, wider net

Announcing the expansion of the Mukhyamantri Apna Sukhi Parivar Yojana, CM Sukhu said the annual income eligibility limit has been revised upward — from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000 — a move designed to pull in households that were previously just above the cut-off and left out of the scheme's benefits. The state government is simultaneously conducting a fresh survey across all districts to identify and enrol eligible families under the revised criteria.

The revision matters because, in a largely agrarian hill economy like Himachal Pradesh, a ₹50,000 income ceiling excluded a significant slice of rural households that still live close to the margin. Stretching the limit by 50 percent substantially broadens the scheme's potential reach.

MGNREGA wage condition dropped

In a parallel move, Sukhu announced that the requirement of completing one day's wage labour under MGNREGA as a condition for scheme eligibility will be removed. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is India's flagship rural employment guarantee programme, and tying welfare-scheme access to participation in it had created a procedural hurdle — particularly for families where women do not formally participate in MGNREGA work. Dropping the condition signals a deliberate shift toward unconditional direct benefit, reducing bureaucratic friction for the most vulnerable.

₹1,500 a month, per daughter, no cap on siblings

The headline announcement is the monthly cash transfer: the Sukhu government will deposit ₹1,500 per month into the individual bank accounts of all daughters aged over 21 years within an eligible family. Crucially, there is no restriction on the number of daughters per household — every qualifying woman gets her own transfer. In a state where several districts still grapple with skewed sex ratios and limited formal employment for young women, a per-daughter, unconditional monthly payment carries both economic and symbolic weight.

Cash-transfer schemes targeting women have become a live policy arena across Indian states, with governments in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and others running comparable programmes. Himachal Pradesh's iteration is notable for extending the benefit to all adult daughters rather than restricting it to a single beneficiary per family — a design choice that could directly benefit households with multiple unmarried or economically dependent daughters.

Survey, funding, and what the assembly must confirm

The on-ground survey currently running across Himachal Pradesh will determine the final beneficiary count — a number that will set the fiscal ask when the scheme's full rollout is tabled before the state assembly or reflected in a budget revision. The income-limit change and MGNREGA waiver are administrative decisions; the sustained monthly transfer will require budgetary backing at scale. Watch for the state's next budget session or a supplementary demand for the precise allocation that makes the ₹1,500-per-month promise a line item.

For now, the government's signal is clear: the Sukhi Parivar Yojana is expanding its tent, and the daughters of Himachal Pradesh are its new headline beneficiaries.