Written by, Aug. 1 -- Rajan Pandey

"You might start receiving messages just now that money has been credited to your accounts," Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told women at a government-organised programme in Dhuri town of Sangrur district in June. As he spoke, a number of women present at the function jubilantly rose to their feet amid the sound of SMS alerts and confirmed that they had indeed received the first instalment of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under the AAP government's Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana.

The DBT scheme, which provides a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000-1,500 to women and girls above the age of 18 from the General and Scheduled Caste categories, was one of the Aam Aadmi Party's key promises during...