There is a political upheaval in the politics of West Bengal which has attracted the attention of not only the state but the entire country. The Bengal government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has announced some such tough and unexpected decisions regarding social welfare schemes, which have created panic among the general public and opposition parties. The government’s direct message is that exchequer money should now reach the pockets of only “genuinely deserving and needy” people.
Under this campaign, the old ‘Lakshmi Bhandar Yojana’ has been discontinued and the new ‘Annapurna Yojana’ has been implemented in its place, but the new eligibility rules that come with it have surprised everyone.
Annapurna Yojana: That ‘page number 8’ of ineligibility
The most surprising part of this new scheme is the 11th page of the application form. Some such conditions have been written on ‘Page No. 8’ of this form which are shocking the applicants. The government has made it clear that if someone has married three or more times, he will be ineligible for this scheme. Not only this, vaccination of children has also been made mandatory. Government assistance to those parents or guardians who do not get their children vaccinated under the government vaccination campaign (Universal Immunization Program) will be stopped immediately.
Strict stance on education: Will admission in madrassas be costly?
There is another twist in the rules of Annapurna Scheme which has sparked a new debate in the state. According to the new decree, if a beneficiary’s child has left a government or government-aided school and enrolled in “certain religious educational institutions” or madrassas, the financial assistance to that family will be stopped. Applicants will now have to provide complete information about the children’s school. This step of the government is being seen as a big diplomatic move to modernize education and connect children with the mainstream.
‘Surgical strike’ on 30 lakh fake beneficiaries
The government has launched a massive verification drive in the state, which aims to remove 30 lakh dubious beneficiaries who are wrongly availing government benefits. The scope of investigation is so strict that applicants will now have to provide information about land, permanent house, car and any family member in government job along with an affidavit. There will be thorough verification through ration cards and other IDs and those identified as non-Indians will be immediately removed from the list.
A gift for women and a big blow to the opposition
Amid policy changes, Suvendu cabinet has discontinued all financial assistance schemes based on religion. However, there is great news for women—the monthly allowance under the Annapurna scheme has now been increased to ₹3,000 along with the facility of free travel in buses.
Along with this, the government has also tightened law and order. Now liquor shops will not open within a radius of one kilometer of any school, college or religious place. Amidst all this, the resignation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) state president Chandrima Bhattacharya has also come to light, which has completely pushed the opposition on the backfoot.
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