The ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme is being launched in the state. The government led by Suvendu Adhikari made the announcement. Graphic: Anandabazar.com.
The BJP has fulfilled its election promises. During the election campaign—aimed at attracting the female vote bank—Modi and Shah had pledged in almost every public rally to provide 3,000 Taka through the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme, as well as free public bus services for women. Suvendu Adhikari’s government has now fulfilled these very promises. On Saturday, May 9, Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the state’s ninth Chief Minister at the Brigade Parade Ground; simultaneously, five other ministers took their oaths of office to join his cabinet. Today, the portfolios for these ministers were allocated.
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The BJP fulfill election promises
During the election campaign in West Bengal, leaders ranging from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP functionaries repeatedly promised the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme for women. Alongside this, they also pledged free bus services for women. Starting this coming June 1st, funds under the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme will begin to be deposited directly into women’s bank accounts. The new government, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has commenced fulfilling these promises on its very first working day. On Monday, immediately following the inaugural cabinet meeting held at Nabanna, the state government announced the launch date for the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme. Furthermore, it was announced that—effective from that same June 1st—women will no longer be required to pay any fare when traveling on government buses.
Prior to the 2021 Assembly elections, the then-Chief Minister and TMC leader, Mamata Banerjee, pledged to provide women with a monthly stipend of ₹500 under the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ scheme. Immediately after winning the elections in 2021, she launched this initiative. The scheme initially began with a monthly payout of ₹500, a sum that was subsequently increased in a phased manner. In the final budget presented by the previous administration, the monthly allocation under Lakshmir Bhandar was raised to ₹1,500; furthermore, women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were entitled to a monthly stipend of ₹1,700. However, ahead of the 2026 elections, the BJP devised a strategy to defeat Mamata by turning her own political weapon against her. In their election manifesto, the BJP announced that, with the aim of empowering women and fostering their self-reliance, financial assistance of ₹3,000 per month would be provided through the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme. The party has now announced its intention to fulfill this very promise.
During their election campaign, Modi and Shah spoke about the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ in almost every public rally. Not only that, but to attract the female vote bank, they made another promise: that women would be able to travel free of cost on government buses. On Monday, the state government announced that this promise would be fulfilled. Starting June 1st, women will be able to ride government buses free of charge. Additionally, various BJP leaders had stated that no existing social welfare schemes would be discontinued; true to their word, the BJP government has kept that promise.
Does obtaining the Annapurna Bhandar bonus require submitting a new application? Many people are thinking about this question. However, the Annapurna Bhandar system will provide a monthly stipend of 3,000 rupees to those who were formerly recipients of the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, according to administrative sources. Annapurna Bhandar does not currently require a new application. The government will send out a notification if more data or documents are needed in the future.
Following the BJP’s assumption of power in the state, questions arose as to whether the residents would continue to receive the benefits of the schemes originally introduced by the previous Trinamool government. Immediately after the first cabinet meeting on Monday, Suvendu dispelled these doubts, announcing that the people of the state would continue to enjoy the benefits of all the social welfare schemes they had previously received. Just a few hours later, the state government announced the launch date for the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme. According to sources at Nabanna, the Chief Minister has convened another cabinet meeting for next Monday. Several promises are expected to be implemented during that meeting.
Allocation of Portfolios to Suvendu’s Ministers
In front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, May 9, the anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore’s birth, Subhendu Adhikari and five other people swore their oaths at the Brigade Parade Ground. The other five cabinet members were given portfolios by Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari on Monday.
Dilip Ghosh has been entrusted with the portfolios of Panchayats, Agricultural Marketing, and Animal Resources. Agnimitra Paul has been assigned the Departments of Women, Child and Social Welfare, as well as Municipal and Urban Development. Former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nisith Pramanik, will oversee the Departments of Sports and North Bengal Development. The Department of Food and Supplies has been handed to Ashok Kirtania, while Khudiram Tudu has been placed in charge of the Department of Tribal Development.
A state government source claims that Chief Minister Shubhendu will continue to oversee all other departments for the time being. By the way, on Monday at 12:00 PM, Shubhendu called a cabinet meeting in Nabanna. There were five of his cabinet colleagues in attendance. The event was also attended by Chief Secretary Dushmanta Nariwala and other administrative officers. Chief Minister Shubhendu announced that his administration would continue on the path of security and good governance after the cabinet’s first meeting. At the same time, he said that West Bengal would follow the same course that the “double-engine governments” in BJP-ruled states are currently doing.