West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday that around 30 lakh beneficiaries of the earlier Lakshmir Bhandar scheme were ineligible for the new Annapurna Bhandar scheme, alleging that they were either non-Indian citizens or had been permanently removed from the voter list.
He made the remarks at a press conference at Nabanna, the state secretariat, even as the state moved to roll out application and verification forms for the new scheme.
Also Read | At Hakimpur, Bangladeshi families gather to cross back over border amid rising fear
🚨 BIG STATEMENT
— Megh Updates 🚨 (@MeghUpdates) May 27, 2026
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari says 30 lakh beneficiaries of the TMC government’s direct cash transfer scheme for women are either Non-Indians or do NOT feature on the voter list 🤯 pic.twitter.com/7KEitWLN5a
A tidy sum makes the contrast
Lakshmir Bhandar remains one of West Bengal’s largest direct-cash transfer schemes for women, with about 2.21 crore beneficiaries at present.
Under the existing arrangement, women in the general category receive Rs 1,500 a month, while women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes receive Rs 1,700. By contrast, Annapurna Bhandar is set to offer a flat monthly payout of Rs 3,000.
Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari said that male TMC leaders were taking benefits under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme and 30L fake beneficiaries are there.
— FOX-BET (@PratyaksaA) May 27, 2026
A reporter reached the house of one beneficiary, Raqibul Islam.
Raqibul said he was not aware that the scheme was meant only for… pic.twitter.com/jvxikiqkmA
A rather exacting audit of the rolls
Adhikari said the exclusions followed a “comprehensive cleansing and verification” of the beneficiary list, based on data from the Special Intensive Revision of the voter rolls.
India Today reported that a survey of Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries began on May 19 and was expected to be submitted by May 25.
The exercise drew on electoral-roll deletion data, including names marked under the standard categories of absent, shifted, dead, and duplicate voters, along with others removed after further scrutiny.
Also Read | Annapurna Yojana forms to release today, Suvendu Adhikari announces ₹3,000 benefit rollout
No abrupt cutoff just yet
The ineligible group, Adhikari said, included people whose names had been deleted from the rolls and those who had not applied to an SIR-linked tribunal or under the Citizenship Amendment Act for inclusion.
He added that CAA applicants and those who had appealed to SIR-linked tribunals would remain eligible for Annapurna Bhandar.
The West Bengal government, meanwhile, has said Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries will continue receiving payments under the existing scheme until the transition process is completed.
