True to the electoral promise made by the BJP, the party has kept its word. The 'Annapurna Bhandar' scheme is set to launch on June 1st, under which ₹3,000 will be deposited into women's bank accounts every month. However, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated yesterday that the welfare schemes initiated by the previous government will not be discontinued. In light of this, a question has arisen: will beneficiaries receive funds from both 'Lakshmir Bhandar' and 'Annapurna Bhandar' simultaneously?
**Annapurna Bhandar Launches on June 1st**
Notably, during their election campaign, the BJP pledged that if elected to power, they would provide double the amount offered under 'Lakshmir Bhandar'—specifically ₹3,000—and would introduce a new scheme to be named 'Annapurna Bhandar.' In accordance with this promise, the BJP has now assumed power. To fulfill this commitment, it was announced yesterday that the disbursement of funds under 'Annapurna Bhandar' will commence on June 1st. Furthermore, preliminary reports suggest that the funds for 'Annapurna Bhandar' will likely be deposited into the very same bank accounts where the 'Lakshmir Bhandar' allowances were previously credited. Will 'Lakshmir Bhandar' and 'Annapurna Bhandar' be received concurrently?
The question regarding simultaneous benefits has arisen because Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari gave his assurance that the schemes launched by the previous administration would not be discontinued. However, there is no basis for such an assumption. In reality, the 'Lakshmir Bhandar' scheme will be discontinued and subsequently relaunched in a new avatar as 'Annapurna Bhandar,' with the monthly payout increased from ₹1,500 to ₹3,000. Consequently, reports suggesting that women will receive a total of ₹4,500 per month are entirely baseless. Women will receive a monthly sum of ₹3,000 only; furthermore, there will be no provision for higher payouts for women belonging to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe categories. Every eligible woman will receive a monthly deposit of ₹3,000 directly into her bank account. However, to avail the benefits of 'Annapurna Bhandar,' applicant women must fulfill certain eligibility criteria. As per preliminary information, the applicant must be between 25 and 60 years of age and must be a permanent resident of West Bengal. Additionally, the annual family income must be within ₹2.5 lakh, and a mobile number must be linked to the Aadhaar number. Most importantly, no member of the household may hold a government job; furthermore, if the applicant owns a four-wheeled vehicle or a tractor, they will not be eligible for this benefit. It has also been stipulated that individuals whose names were excluded during the SIR verification process will not be eligible for inclusion in this scheme.