Annapurna Bhandar Yojana site crashes following massive surge for DBT linking

The highly anticipated rollout of the Annapurna Bhandar Yojana in West Bengal has faced an immediate technical setback. Following Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s official release of the application form on Wednesday, a massive influx of users attempted to complete the mandatory Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) linking process. The sudden surge in traffic caused the official portal to crash, leaving thousands of beneficiaries unable to proceed with their applications.

As of Thursday morning, the "Bharat Aadhaar Seeding Enrolment" section on the NPCI website remained inaccessible. Users reported encountering a persistent "Error 500" message immediately upon clicking the seeding link, preventing them from even reaching the stage where they could enter their credentials. This technical glitch highlights the overwhelming scale of participation, as women across Bengal rush to secure the benefits of the new scheme.

To avail of the Annapurna Bhandar facility, applicants must ensure their bank accounts are linked via Aadhaar seeding through the NPCI portal. The process involves navigating to the "Customer" section on the NPCI homepage and selecting the Aadhaar Seeding/De-seeding option. Applicants can choose between fresh seeding, moving DBT within the same bank, or transferring the link from one bank to another, finally confirming the process via an OTP sent to their registered mobile number.

Despite the current digital roadblock, the state government has emphasized that the facility is designed to be user-friendly once the server stabilizes. Technical teams are expected to work on expanding the portal's capacity to handle the unprecedented volume of requests. For now, beneficiaries are advised to be patient and attempt the linking process during non-peak hours as the administration looks to resolve the "Error 500" issues.