NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced the rollout of the proposed “Annapurna Bhandaar” scheme in the state, under which eligible women may receive Rs 3,000 per month directly into their bank accounts, as the party promised ahead of polls.The decision was taken during the first cabinet meeting of the new BJP government in the state, chaired by Adhikari and attended by ministers and senior bureaucrats.The chief minister said officials had been directed to implement the scheme from June 1.According to the proposal, eligible women in the state may receive Rs 3,000 per month directly into their bank accounts.What is the Annapurna Bhandaar scheme?The Annapurna Bhandaar scheme is a women’s welfare initiative proposed by the BJP in West Bengal to replace the previous Lakshmir Bhandar scheme introduced by the All India Trinamool Congress government.Under the proposed scheme, eligible women in the state may receive Rs3,000 per month directly into their bank accounts, almost double the amount provided under the earlier scheme by TMC led government in the state. The BJP had announced the scheme as a key election promise ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls.The scheme is aimed at providing financial support to women from low and middle-income households. Under the earlier Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, women from the general category received Rs1,500 per month, while women from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households received Rs1,700 per month.The announcement came alongside a series of administrative and policy decisions taken by the new government after the BJP formed its first government in West Bengal.The meeting, chaired by Adhikari and attended by the five newly sworn-in ministers and senior bureaucrats, also discussed border fencing, implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and measures relating to illegal immigration.Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Adhikari said West Bengal would now be brought under the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme along with other flagship programmes. These include Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana for crop insurance, PM SHRI Schools, and PM Vishwakarma aimed at supporting artisans and craftspeople.The state government also announced the rollout of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana 3.0 for subsidised cooking gas connections.The chief minister also said land would be transferred to the Border Security Force for border fencing work and added that the issue of illegal immigrants would be resolved “in a few days”.The announcement comes days after Adhikari took oath as West Bengal’s ninth chief minister on Saturday, becoming the first BJP leader to head the state government after ending the All India Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule.
