Bengal govt rolls out Annapurna Bhandar benefits from June 1
Kolkata, May 11 (IANS) Money under the state government’s ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme will start flowing into women’s bank accounts from June 1, a state government official said on Monday. During the Assembly election campaign, PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah repeatedly promised to implement the Annapurna Bhandar social welfare scheme for women in the state. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari began fulfilling those promises on the first working day of the new government, Monday. The first Cabinet meeting was held at the state secretariat, Nabanna, on Monday. After the meeting, the state government announced the launch date of ‘Annapurna Bhandar’. It was also announced that women would not have to pay any fare while travelling on government buses from June 1. Before the 2021 state Assembly elections, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had promised to provide the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ scheme for women. She launched the project after winning the 2021 election. The project initially started with Rs 500 per month per woman. Thereafter, the amount was increased incrementally. In the last budget of the previous state government, the amount under Lakshmir Bhandar was increased to Rs 1,500 per month for each woman in the general category. For Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women, Rs 1,700 per month was provided. However, before the 2026 Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party used the same scheme introduced by Mamata Banerjee to defeat her government. The Bharatiya Janata Party stated in its manifesto that it would provide financial assistance of Rs 3,000 per month to empower women. During the election campaign, PM Modi and Amit Shah spoke about Annapurna Bhandar at almost every public meeting. To attract women voters, they also promised that women would be able to travel on government buses free of cost. On Monday, the state government announced that the promise would be fulfilled. From June 1, women will be able to travel on government buses free of cost. It is worth noting that the former Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi first introduced this facility. The government has changed in Delhi. However, the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party government has continued the facility introduced by Kejriwal. According to administration sources, those who earlier received benefits under Lakshmir Bhandar will get Rs 3,000 per month under Annapurna Bhandar. For now, there is no need to apply afresh for Annapurna Bhandar. If any information or documents are required in the future, the government will inform beneficiaries accordingly. --IANS sch/dan
