Sthree Suraksha: Kerala’s Suspended Cash-Transfer Scheme for Women

What it is

• Sthree Suraksha is Kerala’s monthly pension for economically weaker women.
• It pays ₹1,000 a month into the woman’s bank account.

From announcement to launch

• The scheme was announced on Kerala Piravi, the state’s Foundation Day, as part of a package of welfare steps.
• Outgoing CM Pinarayi Vijayan launched it on 11 February 2026.
• That was weeks before the state election.

Who qualifies

• Women aged 35 to 60 who are permanent residents of Kerala.
• Holders of an AAY (yellow) or Priority Household (pink) ration card.
• The woman must be unemployed.
• Eligibility explicitly includes transwomen. See the Transgender Persons Act.

Applications

• Women already getting another welfare pension do not qualify.
• Applications go through the K-SMART portal of the Local Self-Government Department.
• Women can apply online themselves or use an Akshaya centre.
• After complaints of overcharging, the government capped the Akshaya service fee at ₹40. (Source: Onmanorama, 5 January 2026)
• Local self-government bodies, meaning panchayats, municipalities and corporations, verify the lists.

The 2026 election

• The UDF, led by V.D. Satheesan, ended the LDF’s decade in power.
• Read the result in Kerala Election 2026.

Budget

• The new government cut the planned budget from ₹3,720 crore to ₹1,770 crore.
• Satheesan said the beneficiary list had skipped proper field verification.

Not cancelled, not paid

• On 29 June 2026, CM Satheesan said no decision had been made on continuing or ending the scheme.
• He said there was “no question” of paying before a thorough check of the beneficiary list.
• He criticised a rushed rollout and possible political influence in selecting beneficiaries. (Source: Onmanorama, 29 June 2026)

Who is affected

• On 16 March 2026, February and March money reached over 16 lakh women.
• Nothing has been paid since.
• The original target was 31.34 lakh women. The list was cut to 16.4 lakh.

Compare

• The pension is a targeted transfer. It goes only to women who pass the age, card and employment tests.
• Compare this with a universal scheme, where every woman gets the money. Targeting saves money but can leave out the needy through errors.
• In Tamil Nadu, Magalir Urimai Thogai kept running after the DMK lost, though it was renamed.
• Kerala’s case is different: payments are on hold.
• Read the state profile in Kerala.

Latest position

• The UDF government has allocated ₹1,770 crore in the budget.
• No money had been paid since March by late June 2026.
• On that day CM Satheesan told the Assembly that Sthree Suraksha is not part of the “Indira Guarantees”, the UDF’s own six promises. (Source: Onmanorama, 22 June 2026)
• One of those guarantees is raising the regular social welfare pension from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000. No date has been given.
• Payments are not being made until the list is rechecked.
• No final decision on the scheme’s future had been announced as of the CM’s 29 June statement.