West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) said the State government would begin issuing forms for the Annapurna Yojana from May 27, 2026. Speaking after an administrative review meeting at Kalyani, Mr. Adhikari said the process would formally commence on Wednesday (May 27, 2026).

Annapurna Yojana

Under the scheme, women will receive ₹3,000 per month. The existing Lakshmir Bhandar scheme will continue until the new programme is fully implemented.

“Like we are continuing Swasthya Sathi till its conversion to Ayushman Bharat is complete, similarly, until the Annapurna Yojana is fully rolled out, Lakshmir Bhandar will continue. From tomorrow, the process for Annapurna Yojana begins,” he said.

Mr. Adhikari said a form for the Annapurna Yojana would be released from the State secretariat on Wednesday (May 27, 2026) evening, along with Minister Agnimitra Paul.

He said forms for the scheme would be issued from Nabanna and made available both online and offline.

“I, along with Minister Agnimitra Paul, will be publishing a form for Annapurna Yojana from Nabanna tomorrow in the presence of the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary. Detailed guidelines will also be announced,” he said.

New cash assistance scheme for women

The Chief Minister said beneficiaries would begin receiving payments soon after enrolment and verification.

“As and when forms are filled up, ₹3,000 will start getting credited into beneficiaries’ accounts. The faster people complete registration, the faster they will receive benefits,” Mr. Adhikari said.

Mr. Adhikari said MLAs and district officials would assist women in completing the application process. “People will not be left entirely on their own. MLAs will help beneficiaries fill out forms, while teams under Block Development Officers will go door-to-door to assist applicants,” he said.

Mr. Adhikari also asserted that only Indian citizens would be eligible for the scheme. “Keep in mind that only Indians will get this opportunity. India’s money is not meant for infiltrators coming from Bangladesh. This has been made very clear,” he said.

Database cleansing exercise

The West Bengal government has initiated a verification and database cleansing exercise for beneficiaries of the proposed Annapurna Yojana. District administrations have been instructed to complete the process before the scheme is launched on June 1, an official said on Friday (May 22, 2026).

According to an official order issued by the Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department, the exercise is aimed at identifying and removing ineligible names from the beneficiary database and ensuring proper authentication of genuine recipients.

“All existing beneficiaries of the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme shall be migrated to the Annapurna Yojana except the dead, shifted, deleted and absentee electors identified during SIR 2026, deletion in the second list after publication of draft list, deleted after adjudication, and those marked as ASDD, that is Absent, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate, found during voter slip distribution,” a government notification dated May 19, 2026, said.

Officials have also been directed to ensure that Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of beneficiaries are properly updated on the portal to facilitate direct benefit transfer.

Online portal for verification

According to the government communication, a dedicated online portal is being developed for authentication of beneficiaries, correction of records and rationalisation of the database.

“The monitoring is being carried out at the highest level. District-wise progress reports are being submitted to the Chief Secretary every evening to ensure adherence to timelines,” the official added. The order further stated that the verification and database cleansing exercise must be completed by May 25.

Eligibility criteria

Women aged between 25 and 60 years, who are not permanent government employees receiving salaries or pensions and who do not pay income tax, will be eligible for financial assistance of ₹3,000 per month under the Annapurna Yojana.

The assistance will be credited through the Direct Benefit Transfer system to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts in the name of the beneficiary.

The government has also announced that an online application portal will be launched on June 1 to accommodate fresh applicants for the scheme.

The notice stated that new applications would be examined by authorised government or Kolkata municipal officials, depending on the applicant’s place of residence.