West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is set to formally launch the state's flagship Annapurna Yojana on Wednesday, marking the beginning of a major welfare initiative aimed at providing financial assistance to women across the state. Under the scheme, eligible women will receive ₹3,000 per month through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.
The state government has described the scheme as a key measure for women's socio-economic empowerment. Annapurna Yojana officially came into effect from June 1, but the first phase of fund transfers and the formal rollout process are scheduled to begin on Wednesday. Eligible beneficiaries are expected to start receiving the monthly assistance directly in their bank accounts from June 3.
According to the notified guidelines, women between the ages of 25 and 60 years who are residents of West Bengal can apply for the scheme. However, income taxpayers, permanent government employees and pensioners are not eligible for the benefit. The assistance will be transferred through the DBT system to ensure transparency and timely payments.
The government has already begun distributing application forms both online and offline. Officials have also launched a verification process to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries are included under the scheme. Authorities said special camps and door-to-door assistance will be provided in several areas to help women complete the application process.
The launch of Annapurna Yojana is expected to benefit millions of women across the state. The scheme replaces the previous Lakshmir Bhandar framework with a higher monthly assistance amount of ₹3,000, making it one of the largest women-centric welfare programmes in West Bengal.
With the formal launch scheduled for Wednesday, the state government is expected to announce further details regarding beneficiary verification, application timelines and future fund disbursement schedules.
