Kolkata, Aug 6 (PTI) The West Bengal government will begin disbursing financial assistance to “verified” eligible women beneficiaries under its flagship Annapurna Yojana from August 17, with Rs 3,000 to be credited directly into their bank accounts, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Thursday.
The Annapurna Yojana was rolled out from June 1, providing eligible women aged 25 to 60 years with the monthly financial assistance.
Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’, Adhikari said around 2.16 crore applications were received under the scheme before the application window closed on July 31.
Officials are scrutinising the documents submitted by applicants to verify their eligibility, with the exercise nearing completion.
He said applicants who submitted their forms on or before July 10 and whose documents are found to be in order would receive the instalment on August 17.
Those who applied between July 11 and July 31 would require additional time for verification and would receive the financial assistance in subsequent phases after the process is completed, he said.
Adhikari said applicants who satisfy the scheme’s eligibility criteria after verification would receive the assistance.
The CM did not clarify whether the ongoing verification exercise would also cover the over 1.19 crore women who had received at least one instalment under the previous government’s cash assistance scheme, or whether any of them could be excluded after scrutiny.
The chief minister said detailed eligibility criteria for the scheme, apart from the announced age bracket of 25 to 60 years, would be unveiled at a joint media briefing with the Women and Child Development Department on August 10.
From August 17, money will be transferred directly into verified beneficiaries’ bank accounts as per government rules and in line with the BJP’s election manifesto, he said.
From September onwards, eligible beneficiaries would receive the assistance during the second week of every month as long as the BJP government remained in office.
He urged people not to be misled by misinformation circulating on social media, warning that legal action would be initiated against those spreading false information about the scheme. PTI BSM NN
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