Launching the Annapurna Yojana, a direct cash transfer scheme for women in West Bengal, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said that 26 lakh applications for the scheme were rejected because the applicants’ names were not on the voters’ list.
Asserting that “government money cannot be received by any non-Indian”, the chief minister said, “Twenty-six lakh forms submitted under the Annapurna scheme have been rejected. Screening was necessary… These 26 lakh women are not Indian, and their names are not on the voters’ list. Some are dead, some do not have voter ID cards, and some had their names listed in three places. Such names have been removed. Government money cannot be received by any non-Indian.”
The chief minister’s remarks come amidst a PIL filed in the Calcutta High Court against the government’s move to bar people from getting ration through Public Distribution System (PDS) whose names were deleted from the voters’ list following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking at the launch of the Annapurna scheme, held at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium, the chief minister said the first tranche of funds under the Annapurna scheme was credited to the accounts of nearly 1.1 crore beneficiaries of the state.
“The total number of approved beneficiaries in West Bengal whose data have been uploaded on the scheme’s portal currently stands at around 1.3 crore. Of them, money has been transferred to 1.1 crore beneficiaries. Those who are yet to receive the money will have funds transferred by the end of the day,” the CM said, adding that only the legitimate people receive money.
“We will not discontinue the existing welfare schemes of the government and will not deprive any eligible applicants of their rights. We will fulfil every guarantee offered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he added.
The Annapurna Yojana was introduced by the newly elected BJP government, replacing the previous TMC government’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. Under the new scheme, a monthly allowance of Rs 3,000 will be paid to eligible women. In its Budget, presented on June 22, the state government has allocated Rs 36,000 crore for the Annapurna Yojana.
Story continues below this ad
“The Annapurna beneficiaries include over 26.5 lakh women belonging to the Scheduled Caste category, nearly 5 lakh Scheduled Tribes women, and more than 1.2 lakh Gorkha community women in the Darjeeling hills,” the CM said, and added that about 8.15 lakh names were included on the basis of applications made at the Jan Kalyan camps recently organised by the government.
He added that Bangladeshi refugees, who have applied for citizenship under the CAA and those who have moved the SIR-linked tribunals challenging their name deletion from electoral rolls, have also been retained as Annapurna scheme beneficiaries until their applications are disposed of by the respective bodies.
New helpdesk, helpline for women’s safety
Asserting ‘zero tolerance’ towards crimes against women, the chief minister said there would be no compromise on the question of women’s security, and that the administration is being made more active so that prompt action could be taken as soon as a complaint is received.
Adhikari said the government has decided to introduce two new measures in this regard – a women’s helpdesk at all police stations and a new emergency service ‘Dial 112’.
Story continues below this ad
“The new helpdesk will start operating from Thursday at all police stations across the state. The administration expects that through this helpdesk, women will be able to lodge complaints easily and receive prompt assistance,” the CM said.
Regarding the new helpline service, the CM said, “People have often complained that police assistance is delayed after a complaint is filed. This single emergency number is being introduced to address this problem. Although the average police response time in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat is comparatively low, in West Bengal, that time is often much longer. This new system is being introduced to change that situation,” Adhikari said, adding that measures such as confiscating the property of those accused of serious crimes are also being considered.
Adhikari said a system is being put in place so that whenever a complaint is filed regarding any incident, old or new, an investigation can begin quickly, and strict action can be taken against the guilty.