Is Hemant Soren’s Maiya Yojna silently changing the game in Jharkhand

Alpha Purthi dropped out of school during the Covid days as her family lacked the resources to provide her with a mobile phone for virtual classes. Now 23-years-old, she is married with two children and lives in Khunti’s Ulihatu, the birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. These hinterlands of Jharkhand have seen everything from Naxal guerilla activities to self-governance agitations stemming from the Pathalgarhi movement. By 2024, however, the situation has calmed down.
Purthi recalls how her life fast-tracked after Class 9–love, Covid, marriage, and now the responsibility of two kids and managing a household. She is a beneficiary of the Hemant Soren government’s flagship scheme, Maiya Samman Yojna (JMMSY). Like her, many women in Ulihatu are either already benefiting from the scheme or waiting for their applications to be processed.
“I receive Rs 1,000 per month under the Maiya Samman Yojna. So far, I’ve withdrawn Rs 1,000,” Purthi shared, adding that she used some of it for Diwali shopping and the rest for her children.
Purthi married Manto when they were both in Class 9. Like other couples in the village, they work as daily wage labourers, sell vegetables in the local Khunti market, and take up odd jobs for extra income. It takes them two to three months of savings to afford a gas cylinder refill, highlighting their economic struggles. The couple is waiting for the Jharkhand government’s Abua Awas Yojna to convert their traditional kutcha house into a pucca home.
“We will support those who have supported us. We are the Maiya Yojna people,” Purthi says in broken Hindi.

Maiya Samman Yojna is beginning to show small but significant economic empowerment among women. (Photo: India Today/Amit Bhardwaj)

Women in nearby homes, mostly kutcha structures with a few converting to pucca ones, are also beneficiaries of the Maiya Samman Yojna. The impact of women-centric financial assistance like this scheme is beginning to show small but significant economic empowerment, enabling women to go shopping for Diwali or visit doctors without relying on male family members.
Standing in the backyard, Alpha’s husband Manto quips, “They’ve become smart now. They don’t give us any money from their accounts. They act arrogant.” When asked if this bothers him, Manto responds, “Why would it? Our women are getting money; they are happy. Men shouldn’t feel bad about it.”
From her side, Alpha explains, “I can’t give money to him. Men often spend their earnings on liquor. I want to secure a future for my two children.” In these tribal areas like the Chhota Nagpur Plateau and Santhal Pargana, women frequently face such challenges.
When asked if she applied for the BJP’s Gogo Didi scheme, which promises Rs 2,100 assistance if they win the elections, she said, “No, we won’t take the BJP’s scheme.”
Over the past five years, network connectivity in the area has improved, and the presence of security forces has reduced. In villages like Ulihatu, mobile-linked digital ATMs now make it easier for government scheme beneficiaries to withdraw their money.

Women-centric schemes are set to play a crucial role in this election. Kalpana Soren is spearheading JMM’s effort to consolidate women votes. (Photo: India Today/Amit Bhardwaj)

36-year-old Budhwa Nag runs a small print shop that doubles as an internet café for government schemes in Ulihatu. “During the BJP’s last regime, Khunti witnessed a crackdown, with cases filed against tribal youth. It brought us to the boiling point. But in the past five years, things have calmed down,” he says.
Nag also adds, “Women-centric schemes are set to play a crucial role in this election. Our village has many beneficiaries of the current government’s schemes, but we’re also focused on protecting tribal rights”.
From Ulihatu, we moved to Tamar, which was once under the grip of Left-Wing Extremism, with bloodshed being a regular occurrence until a decade ago. In a small courtyard, a group of “Didis” was holding their weekly self-help group (SHG) meeting under Radha Rani Sakhi Mandal. They save Rs 10 weekly and loan out money to members in need, but even saving that small amount is challenging.
Supriya Barik, 30, leads this SHG and shared, “All eligible members have applied for the Maiya Yojna, and we are receiving the benefits.” However, the members emphasize they don’t want to remain dependent on such schemes.
“I receive Rs 1,000 in assistance, but I would prefer job opportunities over these schemes,” says 35-year-old daily wage worker Etwari Devi.

The welfare schemes are being implemented through Self-Help Groups. (Photo: India Today: Amit Bhardwaj)

Pushpa Devi, 45, cleans utensils at a local dhaba for a meager Rs 150 per day. Her late husband, who worked as a sanitation worker, earned only Rs 300 monthly. She worries about her children’s future, especially arranging marriages for her daughter and elder son.
“While Maiya Yojna supports us with medical expenses, I wish these political parties would focus on job creation,” Pushpa adds. She distrusts the promises of both the JMM and BJP to increase assistance to Rs 2,500 under Maiya Yojna or Rs 2,100 under Gogo Didi after elections.
In Tamar, women show loyalty to the Maiya Yojna, though the preference for such schemes varies. Urban pockets like Jamshedpur are more divided between the Gogo Didi and Maiya Yojna schemes.
Priti Sinha, who runs a furniture shop in Jamshedpur, criticises these handouts, saying, “Hardworking people will develop a habit of expecting freebies. We don’t need these handouts.”
Meanwhile, Meethu Borai, who runs a small cloth shop, mentions she applied for Maiya Yojna but hasn’t received any benefits yet. “I no longer want this money. I can earn for myself,” she says.
In the 2024 Jharkhand assembly elections, women form nearly 50 per cent of the electorate, with 1.29 crore female and 1.31 crore male voters. Women outnumber men among first-time voters this year. Notably, 32 of the 81 assembly seats are female-dominated, including Hemant Soren’s Barhait and former CM Champai Soren’s Saraikela seat, with 26 reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

Economic issues and job creation are likely to be more decisive factors for voters in rural Jharkhand. (Photo: India Today/Amit Bhardwaj)

The JMM is working to turn Maiya Yojna beneficiaries into a consolidated vote bank, with Kalpana Soren spearheading this effort. Meanwhile, the BJP, led by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, is challenging the scheme, alleging that elderly pensions have been sidelined in favour of the Maiya Yojna. Sarma promises a Rs 2,100 assistance under Gogo Didi if BJP wins.
Kalpana Soren, however, counters that Jharkhand is owed Rs 1.36 lakh crore by the Centre, which could fund further welfare schemes.
As the election draws near, the debate between Maiya Yojna and Gogo Didi continues, but in towns like Jamshedpur, broader economic issues and job creation are likely to be more decisive factors for voters.