West Bengal Launches Annapurna Yojana, Rolls Out ₹3,000 Monthly Aid For 28.25 Lakh Women

Annapurna Yojana has been launched by the West Bengal government, marking a major expansion of direct benefit transfer for women across the state. In the first phase, 28.25 lakh verified beneficiaries will receive ₹3,000 per month under the scheme.

At the launch event in Kolkata, senior political leader Suvendu Adhikari highlighted that 28,25,769 women have already been enrolled through a dedicated portal developed for the scheme. The registration drive, completed over the past three days, involved coordinated efforts by state officials, district administrations, block development offices, municipal bodies, elected representatives, and public participation .

He stated that the government aims to ensure full coverage of eligible women in a phased rollout , with ongoing verification continuing over the next three months. As applications are processed and approved, the monthly assistance will be directly transferred to beneficiaries’ bank accounts .

The scheme is positioned as a large-scale welfare initiative focused on strengthening financial support for women, particularly in low-income and vulnerable households. Officials indicated that fresh applications will remain open, allowing more eligible women to be added after due verification.

The administration also announced that weekly progress briefings will be conducted every seven days to update the public on the number of beneficiaries verified and newly added recipients. This is aimed at ensuring transparency and tracking implementation in real time.

The government has set a target of covering all eligible beneficiaries under the scheme once the verification cycle is fully completed, making it one of the largest women-focused direct benefit programmes in the state.