Nearly 52 lakh Punjab women, accounting for 51.48 per cent of the state’s adult female population, will start receiving a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000 from July 1, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced on Tuesday.“We have set aside funds for the Mukhya Mantri Mawan Dhian Satkar Yojana. About 52 lakh women beneficiaries have been identified and cards have already been issued to 35-36 lakh of them. We are confident that all eligible beneficiaries will receive their cards by the end of this month,” Mann said on the sidelines of a press conference convened to announce an amended and more expansive Kisan Credit Card scheme for farmers.The Rs 1,000 women grant was one of the key promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly elections. The ruling regime had been facing the Opposition’s criticism for delaying its rollout.The launch of the scheme ahead of the Assembly elections is being viewed as an attempt by the ruling regime to woo women, who comprise over 48 per cent of the total voters in Punjab.While Dalit women will receive Rs 1,500 per month, their general category counterparts will get Rs 1,000. The scheme was announced by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema in his Budget proposals for 2026-27, where he had set aside Rs 9,300 crore for its rollout. The government had then said 97 per cent of the women would benefit, the only exemptions being the serving and retired government employees, income tax assesses, and sitting and former MLAs and MPs.The total number of women above 18 years in Punjab is 1.01 crore, of whom 51.48 per cent will receive the monthly grant. Several of these women who have already been getting social security pension will continue receiving that as well, it is learnt.“Even if any eligible woman gets her card made in October, she will receive the grant from July 1 onwards. No one should think this scheme is an election ploy. It’s a long-term plan and will continue even after the polls,” said the CM.