Kolkata: More than 1.3 crore women across Bengal werefound to be eligible for benefits under Annapurna Yojana, and the state govt has transferred Rs 3,000 each to the bank accounts of more than one crore beneficiaries at 1 pm on Wednesday, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said, adding that by midnight all beneficiaries will receive the monthly cash assistance.Adhikari said the 1.6-crore applications received were subjected to multiple rounds of scrutiny, including digital verification, before the final list of beneficiaries was prepared. About 26 lakh applicants were found to be ineligible, he said. “This is not an individual’s or political party’s money. Therefore, it should reach only those who are genuinely entitled,” the chief minister said. Among the eligible are 26.6 lakh Scheduled Caste, 5 lakh Scheduled Tribe and more than 1.2 lakh women from the hills.Refuting criticism of the 12-page Annapurna application form, the chief minister said applicants need to fill out only four pages. “Those eligible will get benefits of numerous other Central and state schemes. They need not fill out a second form,” he said. Enrolment for the scheme will continue in July and Aug.The chief minister further announced that women who have migrated from Bangladesh and applied for citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), as well as those whose SIR-related cases are pending before tribunals, will continue to receive benefits under the scheme until their cases are resolved. “It is taxpayers’ money and no one except Indian citizens should get the benefit of the scheme,” he said.Chief secretary Manoj Agarwal said the state will launch a dedicated online portal for Annapurna Yojana to ensure transparency in beneficiary selection. The portal will display names of beneficiaries at gram panchayat and block levels, allowing the public to verify the lists. Those with objections or complaints regarding inclusion or exclusion of names will be allowed to submit their grievances through the platform.Adhikari reiterated that welfare schemes launched during the previous Trinamool Congress regime, including Kanyashree, will continue. Besides, from August, pregnant women will get a one-time financial assistance of Rs 21,000 along with six nutritional kits.Targeting the previous Trinamool govt, Adhikari alleged serious irregularities in the implementation of the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. “Nearly 10 lakh men received benefits under Lakshmir Bhandar. Should money meant exclusively for women be credited to the bank accounts of men?” he asked, adding that govt has deleted these names.Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh pointed out that Lakshmir Bhandar had 2.3 crore beneficiaries. “How has the number of Annapurna beneficiaries come down by almost 1.4 crore? It appears that more than 1 crore women who used to receive Lakshmir Bhandar benefits are not being considered eligible,” he said.
