Chandigarh, Dec 22: The Punjab government has released ₹4,683.94 crore from a total allocation of ₹6,175 crore under various social security schemes during the current financial year, benefiting more than 3.5 million people across the state, Social Security Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said on Monday.
Addressing the media, Kaur said the funds were disbursed by November 2025 under old-age pensions and other financial assistance schemes.
“At present, 35,29,216 beneficiaries are continuously receiving financial assistance, which reflects the government’s focus on strengthening the social security net,” she said.
The minister said the government has intensified efforts to eliminate child begging through Project Jeevanjot, under which monthly raids are conducted across districts. Under the upgraded Project Jeevanjot 2.0, 766 children have been rescued so far and enrolled in education and rehabilitation programmes.
“The campaign has been made more stringent to identify those forcing children into begging,” Kaur said.
She said the government had also acted to curb child marriages, adding that 64 such marriages were prevented in 2025 with the help of 2,076 Child Marriage Prohibition Officers deployed across the state.
On women’s welfare, Kaur said One-Stop Centers have been set up in all districts to provide medical, legal and counseling support to survivors of violence. “By November 2025, 5,121 women had availed services at these centres,” she said.
She added that five working women’s hostels would be constructed in Mohali, Jalandhar and Amritsar at an estimated cost of ₹150 crore, with completion targeted by 2026.
