Sikkim to extend Aama Sashaktikaran Yojana to 50,000 mothers from 2027

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Monday, August 10, announced that 50,000 mothers across the state will benefit from the Aama Sashaktikaran Yojana from 2027, with each beneficiary receiving Rs 40,000 annually.

The announcement was made during the second Aama Samman Diwas celebrations at Rangpo Playground, held alongside the ninth edition of Jan Unmukti Diwas.

Under the expanded scheme, each beneficiary will receive Rs 20,000 in two instalments every year. At present, 32,000 mothers are covered under the scheme.

The financial assistance is transferred directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts through the State Bank of Sikkim. The scheme covers non-working, unmarried, widowed, divorced and separated mothers aged between 18 and 59 years.

With the number of beneficiaries set to rise to 50,000 from 2027, the annual financial outlay for the scheme will increase to Rs 200 crore.

Tamang also announced two new awards under the Aama Samman initiative.

The Aama Samman Puraskar will recognise one deserving mother from each of Sikkim's 32 Assembly constituencies with a cash award of Rs 51,000. The award will be given to mothers who are not existing beneficiaries of the Aama Sashaktikaran Yojana.

The Pragatisheel Aama Puraskar will honour three mothers who have made productive use of the financial assistance received under the scheme. The top three recipients will receive Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively.

Speaking at the event, Tamang adopted a personal tone, saying he was attending the occasion “not as Chief Minister but as a son”. He described Sikkim as being forever indebted to mattri shakti, or the power of mothers.

Tamang also spoke about the sacrifices made by mothers, saying that his own year in prison was “nothing” compared with the sacrifices made by mothers.

He said this was one of the reasons the government expanded Jan Unmukti Diwas into Aama Samman Diwas from its eighth edition, placing mothers and their contributions at the centre of the annual observance.

The Chief Minister also hit back at criticism from the opposition before the 2024 elections, when the scheme had allegedly been described as an attempt to attract votes. Tamang pointed to the continued disbursement of assistance over consecutive years as evidence that the government had fulfilled its commitment.

The expansion of the scheme and introduction of the awards are aimed at providing greater financial support and recognition to mothers across Sikkim.