Bengal BJP Government Launches Annapurna Yojana, Benefits Reach 1.10 Crore Women The West Bengal BJP government officially launched the Annapurna Yojana on July 2, 2026, distributing monthly benefits of ₹3,000 to 1.10 crore women aged between 25 and 60 who meet the scheme’s criteria. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the rollout at a ceremony in the Netaji Indoor Stadium, emphasizing the government’s commitment to verifying all applications to prevent misuse of funds. Adhikari revealed that the scheme received a total of 1.60 crore applications, with 26 lakh rejected for not meeting eligibility criteria. Of the 1.30 crore cleared applications, 1,09,92,378 beneficiaries received the first installment of the monthly stipend. The remaining beneficiaries will be processed once their names are uploaded to a dedicated portal. The scheme replaces the previous Trinamool Congress-led Lakshmir Bhandar program, which provided ₹1,500 to general-category women and ₹1,700 to SC/ST beneficiaries. The new Annapurna Yojana excludes certain groups to reduce the beneficiary count. State minister Malati Rava Roy stated that permanent government employees who pay income tax and individuals whose children do not attend government or aided schools are excluded. Officials noted that the previous Lakshmir Bhandar scheme had 2.21 crore beneficiaries, but 27 lakh were found ineligible after scrutiny, leading to financial strain. Under the new criteria, the number of beneficiaries is expected to drop to around 1.30 crore. Adhikari highlighted that the verification process uncovered numerous ineligible beneficiaries, including deceased individuals, those who permanently relocated, and non-Indians. He emphasized that the introduction of an application form would ensure transparency and accountability.#suvendu_adhikari #annapurna_yojana #netaji_indoor_stadium #bengal_bjp_government #malati_rava_roy
