The future of the Annapurna Bhandar scheme has triggered confusion among women beneficiaries in West Bengal, with speculation doing the rounds that the newly launched welfare programme could be discontinued.

However, the state government has clarified that there is no question of shutting down the scheme.

Instead, officials are currently verifying the huge number of applications received before releasing payments to eligible beneficiaries.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised before the West Bengal Assembly elections that women would receive a monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000.

After forming the government, it introduced the scheme in line with that promise.

While thousands of women have already received payments over the past three months, many applicants are still waiting for clarity on their eligibility and payment dates.

The uncertainty has largely arisen because of the ongoing verification process. According to the government, a total of 2.16 crore applications were received for the scheme until July 31.

Officials are checking the applications to determine whether applicants meet the eligibility criteria and whether the information submitted is accurate.

Annapurna Bhandar payment date: Who will get Rs 3,000?

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said that women who applied for the Annapurna Yojana by July 10 and whose applications contain no discrepancies will receive Rs 3,000 from August 17.

Those who submitted applications between July 11 and July 31 may have to wait longer, as their verification process is yet to be completed.

The government had accepted applications through both online and offline modes between June and July. Offline applications are being uploaded to the official portal, after which they are being verified.

CM Adhikari said the complete eligibility criteria and details of who will receive the benefit will be announced at a press conference on August 10 at 2 pm.

He also said that women between 25 and 60 years of age would be eligible, subject to the prescribed conditions.

While the August payment will be credited from August 17, the schedule is expected to change from September.

According to the government, eligible beneficiaries will receive the Rs 3,000 payment during the second week of every month.

The CM has also assured beneficiaries that the scheme will continue as long as the BJP government remains in power.

He dismissed speculation about the scheme being discontinued and accused some people of spreading misleading information on social media.

Government warns against fake posts, raises Lakshmir Bhandar figures

The state government has warned that people spreading false information about the Annapurna Yojana are being identified and could face legal action. The CM specifically referred to two individuals, Nur Alam and Mehboob, alleging that they were using women to spread misinformation about the scheme.

He also compared the Annapurna Bhandar scheme with the Lakshmir Bhandar programme of the previous Mamata Banerjee government.

He alleged that there had been irregularities in the distribution of benefits under that scheme.

According to figures cited by him, 1.52 crore people received Rs 500 each under Lakshmir Bhandar in September 2021.

Payments were subsequently stopped for several months before resuming in April 2022.

He claimed that payments for February and March were later made together to 21.84 lakh beneficiaries, while payments for May and June were credited together in July to 3.77 lakh people.

The CM said the government has the relevant figures and insisted that the Annapurna scheme would be implemented after following the required financial and verification procedures.

For now, the key question is not whether Annapurna Bhandar will be scrapped, but which applicants will clear verification and when they will receive the promised Rs 3,000.

The government's August 10 announcement is therefore expected to provide greater clarity to lakhs of women waiting for the benefit.