The BJP government has renamed the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme as Annapurna Yojana, increased monthly financial assistance
July 8, 2026: The BJP government has renamed the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme introduced during the previous Trinamool Congress government as the Annapurna Yojana and doubled the monthly financial assistance. Under the earlier scheme, eligible women received ₹1,500 every month. On July 1, the Chief Minister distributed Annapurna Yojana certificates to five women from North 24 Parganas, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly during a programme at Netaji Indoor Stadium attended by ministers and senior officials.
The Chief Minister clarified that not all beneficiaries of the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme would automatically qualify for the Annapurna Yojana. He said the government had introduced fresh eligibility criteria and carried out a verification exercise to identify genuine beneficiaries. According to him, while nearly two crore people had received financial assistance under the previous scheme, the verification process raised questions over the eligibility of around 27 lakh beneficiaries.
The government said the verification included checking citizenship status, voter list records and identity documents. Officials claimed that some beneficiaries were not Indian citizens, while others did not appear in the electoral rolls. The Chief Minister said names with discrepancies would be removed, although applicants whose cases are pending before tribunals would continue receiving benefits until a final decision is taken. He also questioned how some men had reportedly received benefits under a scheme originally meant only for women.