'No social welfare scheme will be stopped,' says CM Suvendu, clarifies how benefits will be given

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced after the first cabinet meeting of the new BJP government that no existing social welfare scheme in the state would be discontinued. Addressing concerns over the continuation of schemes introduced under the previous government, the Chief Minister stated that all ongoing welfare schemes would continue with updated digital systems to ensure transparency in benefit distribution.

Suvendu Adhikari clarified that benefits under these schemes would not be provided to deceased persons or non-Indian citizens. He stated that the government would modernise administrative procedures through paperless operations and updated digital portals. According to him, the objective was to ensure transparent implementation so that only eligible beneficiaries continue receiving assistance under the schemes already operating in the state.

The Chief Minister also announced that one of the key decisions taken during the first cabinet meeting was to hand over land to the Border Security Force for border-related infrastructure projects. He stated that all identified land would be transferred within the next 45 days and that border fencing work would also be carried out there. Suvendu Adhikari said border security was directly linked to national security and therefore required immediate administrative attention.

During the briefing, the Chief Minister further alleged that the previous state government had stalled the census process in West Bengal. He announced that the census guideline process would begin in the state from Monday. At the same time, he stated that issues related to Dearness Allowance, the Pay Commission, and women’s safety would be discussed in the next cabinet meeting of the government.

The first cabinet meeting at Nabanna was attended by ministers Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Khudiram Tudu, and Nisith Pramanik, all of whom had taken oath alongside the Chief Minister on May 9. Senior secretaries and officials from several government departments were also present during the meeting, though portfolio allocation for the ministers has not yet been announced.