CM Suvendu transfers ₹3,000 to over 28 lakh women under Annapurna Bhandar scheme

The West Bengal government began disbursing benefits under the Annapurna Yojana on Wednesday, with eligible women receiving ₹3,000 directly in their bank accounts. According to Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal, more than 28.25 lakh women received the first payment on the opening day of the scheme. He said beneficiary identification was carried out through a door-to-door verification process and that a grievance mechanism would be available for those who believe they were wrongly left out.

Speaking at a press conference at Nabanna, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the government had undertaken a fresh registration and verification exercise before launching the scheme. He stated that reviews of electoral records had revealed cases in which individuals whose names had been permanently removed from voter lists were allegedly continuing to receive benefits under previous welfare programmes.

The Chief Minister said the objective of the verification process was to ensure that welfare assistance reached only eligible beneficiaries. He added that individuals whose citizenship or voter-status issues remain under legal consideration would not automatically be excluded from the scheme. He also said that certain refugee groups eligible under the Citizenship Amendment Act would continue to be considered for benefits.

The government has made provisions for women who are unable to travel or apply online by arranging home-based assistance for form submission and verification. Officials said the registration and verification process would continue for the next three months, and newly approved applicants would receive payments after completing the required procedures. The Chief Secretary stated that beneficiary lists would be maintained with regular updates at block and panchayat levels.

State minister Agnimitra Paul said women who had already completed the application process began receiving direct bank transfers from Wednesday. She said the government decided to conduct a fresh verification exercise after identifying what it described as a large number of questionable or duplicate entries. Application forms are available through Block Development Offices, Sub-Divisional Officer offices, MLAs’ offices and online portals. According to the minister, online applicants whose verification is completed can expect payments within five to seven days.