West Bengal launches Annapurna Yojana verification drive: What beneficiaries should know
Kolkata: Ahead of the June 1 rollout of the Annapurna Yojana, the West Bengal government has begun a large-scale verification and database-cleansing exercise to identify genuine beneficiaries and weed out ineligible entries from the list, officials said on Friday.
The new scheme, notified by the state government on May 19, will replace the existing Lakshmir Bhandar programme and provide monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000 to eligible women across the state.
According to an official notification issued by the Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department, district administrations have been instructed to complete the verification process by May 25.
The exercise is being monitored closely at the highest level, with district-wise progress reports reportedly being submitted to the chief secretary every evening.
A senior government official said the objective is to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries receive the assistance once the scheme becomes operational.
What the verification drive will check
As part of the exercise, field-level officials, booth-level officers (BLOs), gram rojgar sahayaks and nirman sahayaks have been directed to conduct door-to-door verification of beneficiaries.
Officials will examine cases involving:
- Dead beneficiaries
- Shifted electors
- Duplicate entries
- Absentee electors
- Names deleted during electoral revisions
The government has clarified that all existing beneficiaries under Lakshmir Bhandar will automatically migrate to Annapurna Yojana, except those found ineligible during the scrutiny process.
Authorities have also been instructed to submit daily deletion proposals for ineligible beneficiaries and ensure Aadhaar-linked bank accounts are properly updated for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Online portal, fresh applications from June 1
The state government is also developing a dedicated online portal for beneficiary authentication, correction of records, and database rationalisation.
From June 1, fresh applications for the scheme will also be accepted through the online portal. New applicants will be verified by authorised government officials or civic authorities based on their residential status.
In districts, the respective district magistrates will act as sanctioning authorities, while applications from residents within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area will be cleared by the KMC commissioner.
Under the Annapurna Yojana, women aged between 25 and 60 years will be eligible for the Rs 3,000 monthly assistance, provided they are not permanent government employees, pension recipients or income tax payers.
The financial assistance will be credited directly into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of beneficiaries through the DBT system.
The state government has directed all district administrations to treat the verification exercise as urgent to ensure that no eligible beneficiary is left out while ineligible names are removed before the scheme formally begins next month.