The Bengal government on Wednesday formally rolled out the Annapurna Yojana, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announcing that financial assistance under the scheme would start reaching beneficiaries from the very first day.
Speaking at Nabanna during the launch programme, the Chief Minister said that funds would be transferred to the bank accounts of 28,25,769 beneficiaries on Wednesday. He also clarified that future applicants would receive the benefit once their applications are verified.
"Those who submit forms under Annapurna Yojana will receive the money in their accounts as soon as the verification process is completed," he said.
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Five beneficiaries receive cheques at launch event
As part of the inaugural programme, five beneficiaries were present at Nabanna. The Chief Minister handed over cheques worth ₹3,000 each to them.
The recipients were Sumitra Roy, Sandhya Bahadur, Sumi Mandi, Rajkumari Devi and Rinku Porel.
The government said the direct benefit transfer process had already begun and eligible beneficiaries would start receiving the assistance in their bank accounts.
Fresh beneficiary list prepared after SIR exercise
Addressing the process of identifying beneficiaries, Adhikari said a fresh list had been prepared following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
According to him, a large number of names that had earlier been receiving benefits under Lakshmir Bhandar were excluded during the revision.
Explaining the government's position, the Chief Minister said, "We do not want any non-Indian citizen's account to receive government benefits. Those whose names are under judicial consideration are not being treated as permanently excluded. Similarly, those who have applied under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), or may do so in the future, are not being considered cancelled beneficiaries. However, infiltrators, individuals who manipulated their age, and men who were receiving Lakshmir Bhandar benefits should never have received those funds, and they will not receive them now."
Annapurna application forms available online from Wednesday
The Chief Minister also announced that application forms for the Annapurna Yojana would be made available online from Wednesday.
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Applicants can submit the forms through the administration. For those unable to complete the process on their own, government officials will assist them with filling up the forms.
The enrolment drive will continue for three months, he said.
Verified beneficiary list to be published every week
The government will carry out periodic verification of applications submitted under the scheme.
Adhikari said a list of applicants whose verification process has been completed will be published every seven days, allowing new beneficiaries to be added on a rolling basis.
