As part of this initiative, the authorities expressed recognition of the "significant contribution of our women to the transformation of the country, the upbringing of a devoted and healthy generation, as well as the preservation of noble traditions dedicated to honoring mothers and sisters in a new era of prosperity."
Cash payments will be made from March 2 to March 6 for the following categories of citizens:
▪️ those working in various organizations and institutions, regardless of their ownership form,
▪️ pensioners and recipients of state benefits,
▪️ graduate students, doctoral candidates, and residents studying on a full-time basis,
▪️ female listeners of courses at the Academy of State Service under the President of Turkmenistan, who have been studying for at least two years,
▪️ schoolchildren and university students,
▪️ children attending preschool institutions.
This year, payments for March 8 are being made for the seventh time, despite a significant increase in prices for essential products since 2019. For example, the price of beef has risen from 22 manats per kilogram in March 2019 to 110 manats by January 2026. Locally produced apples have increased in price from 6 to 26 manats per kilogram.
Until 2019, the amount of the presidential gift was 40 manats ($11.4 at the official exchange rate).
The minimum wage in Turkmenistan was set at 790 manats in 2019, and by 2025 it had increased to 1410 manats. There was no increase in 2026. In September 2025, one of the elders proposed to stop the increase in payments, citing the "high level of social and living conditions of the population."
Since 2015, the official exchange rate of the manat has remained unchanged at 3.5 manats per dollar, while the real exchange rate on the black market is 19.5 manats. Thus, the cash gift from the authorities is equivalent to not $17 at the official rate, but only $3 in reality.
