West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced the commencement of the transfer of required land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for fencing the India-Bangladesh border to put an end to illegal infiltration into the State.
After the new BJP government’s first Cabinet meeting, Adhikari also announced the immediate rollout of Ayushman Bharat, the Centre’s flagship health insurance programme, in Bengal. Moreover, the government issued an administrative order stating that the census operation will commence on Monday.
“In our very first Cabinet meeting today, we have taken the decision to transfer the land to the BSF. The process of transferring this land commences today. The required land for fencing the border will be transferred within the next 45 days. Once this is accomplished, the BSF will complete the border fencing and the ongoing issue of illegal infiltration will be resolved within a short period,” Adhikari told mediapersons at “Nabanna “.
Significantly, Union Home Minister Amit Shah several times alleged that the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in the State had been allowing illegal infiltration as a policy to strengthen the party’s vote bank, leading to a change in Bengal’s demography. Shah accused Banerjee of “deliberately obstructing” fencing work along the Bangladesh border by not arranging land.
Adhikari on Monday said the State Cabinet in its first meeting decided to take steps for the immediate launching of Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
While Bengal was one of the states that had initially adopted the AB-PMJAY, it dropped out in 2019, stating that the Narendra Modi-led Central government was taking credit while the State had to foot at least 40 per cent of the cost. Instead, the Mamata Banerjee government continued with its own "Swasthya Sathi" scheme providing health insurance cover up to Rs 5 lakh per annum per family.
“The Cabinet has now granted its approval for the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The necessary procedures, including the signing of agreements with the Central Government’s Health Department and the completion of other requisite formalities, will officially commence starting today,” the chief minister said.
Adhikari said the State government issued an administrative order stating that the census operations will commence today. “This initiative is finally being implemented after a delay of eleven months,” he said.
“The previous government was characterised solely by appeasement politics, institutional corruption, atrocities against women, and a complete dismantling of governance. It even went so far as to challenge the very Constitution of the country. These individuals (Trinamool ministers) had deliberately stalled the census process. Their sole objective in holding up the census was to obstruct the efforts being undertaken by the Prime Minister to implement delimitation and thereby provide reservations specifically for our mothers and sisters,” he said, adding his government will constitute a fact-finding committee to investigate this matter thoroughly.
Published on May 11, 2026