West Bengal Annapurna Yojana Scheme: Financial Aid for Women, Eligibility & Application

Key Points

• The “Annapurna Yojana” scheme provides Rs.3,000 monthly financial assistance to eligible women in West Bengal.
• Eligibility criteria include being aged 25-60, not holding permanent government employment, and not paying income tax.
• The financial assistance will be credited directly to AADHAAR-linked bank accounts via DBT, effective from June 1, 2026.
• Existing beneficiaries of the Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme will be migrated to the Annapurna Yojana, excluding specific ineligible cases.
• Online applications for new beneficiaries will be available on the Annapurna Yojana Portal from June 1, 2026.
• District Magistrates and the Commissioner, KMC, are designated as sanctioning authorities for the scheme.

Government Order

Government of West Bengal

Department of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare

Bikash Bhaban, North Block, 10th Floor, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700091

No. 2411-WCD/O/AB-4/2026 Date. 19.5.2026

NOTIFICATION

The Governor is hereby pleased to introduce a scheme “Annapurna Yojana” of the Government of West Bengal to provide all women residing in this state with an assured monthly financial assistance of Rs.3,000/- per month for empowerment and socio-economic upliftment of women subject to the following conditions:

1. She is aged between 25 to 60 years,
2. She is not in any permanent government employment getting regular salary/ pension under the union or this state government, any statutory body, government undertaking, panchayat, municipal body, local body; teaching or non-teaching employment under this state government’s aided educational institution, etc.
3. She is not paying any Income Tax.

2. The stipulated financial assistance of Rs.3000/- per month shall be credited directly through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), to the AADHAAR linked bank account in the name of the beneficiary, with effect from 1st June, 2026.

3. All the existing beneficiaries of Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme shall be migrated to the Annapurna Yojana except dead, shifted, deleted and absentee electors identified during SIR-2026, deletion in the 2nd list after publication of draft list, deleted after adjudication, ASDD found during voter slip distribution. Beneficiaries who have filed appeal before the SIR Tribunal / applications under Citizenship (Amendment) Act, shall get financial assistance under the New Scheme till disposal of their applications. Likewise, names of dead and shifted beneficiaries will be deleted in future on a regular basis.

4. For new applicants, online application facility shall be launched in the Annapurna Yojana Portal with effect from 1st June, 2026.

5. The applications received under the Annapurna Yojana shall be duly enquired into by the Government officials authorized for this purpose. After verification/ enquiry, the Block Development Officers (BDOs) in rural areas and the Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs) in urban areas shall recommend the list of eligible applicants online to the District Magistrate for sanction. In areas within the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, this process shall be completed by the officers of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The enquiry report of sanctioned cases will be uploaded at the Annapurna Yojana portal.

6. Concerned District Magistrates shall act as sanctioning authorities in the districts and the Commissioner, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) shall act as the sanctioning authority in KMC area.

7. This notification is issued with concurrence of the Finance Department, Group-E vide their U.O. No.7 dated 17.5.2026.

By order of the Governor

Secretary to the Government of West Bengal

Source: https://wcdsw.wb.gov.in