Clearance for the remaining applicants awaited
Kolkata: Three months since the first tranche of Annapurna Yojana aid was released, 4.5 lakh women in Kolkata have enrolled for the financial assistance programme of Rs 3,000 a month. A govt official said so far, 5.7 lakh women had submitted applications in Kolkata, among whom 4.5 lakh had been cleared for payment. Lakshmir Bhandar, the welfare programme for women by the earlier Trinamool govt, had over 7 lakh beneficiaries from Kolkata. The scheme, which has now been replaced with Annapurna Yojana, provided a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500. An official said 1.5 crore women across Bengal were now receiving the monthly assistance under Annapurna Yojana. Also, about 9,000 applications in Kolkata were returned to applicants for corrections or proper entries, said the official.
The field verification of all applicants was completed and the remaining eligible beneficiaries were likely to be cleared in a couple of weeks, the official said. Most applications have been online,” said an official. Cut money no longer exists in Bengal,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the gathering via video conference. “Initially only physical applications were being accepted. Later, online applications opened. “The first pledge of our govt is—katha kam, kaj beshi (less talk, more work). There is no middleman and no cut money.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday was present at a programme to observe ‘Annapurna Divas’ at Boimela Prangan in Salt Lake, which was attended by several thousand Annapurna Yojana beneficiaries. During his address on Thursday, PM Modi had said that the state would ensure no eligible woman was left out of Annapurna Yojana. Within days of the govt being formed, Annapurna Yojana was launched, and today the money reaches bank accounts directly.