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Three million fake Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries in Bengal: CM Suvendu Adhikari
Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday also launched forms for the Annapurna Yojana, which replaced the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme launched in February 2021
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said around three million fake beneficiaries were receiving monthly financial assistance under the “Lakshmir Bhandar” scheme during the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime.
Addressing the media during the launch of forms for the new Annapurna Yojana at the state secretariat, Adhikari claimed that several beneficiaries whose names had been permanently deleted from electoral rolls and who had neither applied for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) nor appealed before Supreme Court-mandated appellate tribunals were receiving benefits under the scheme.
“We had initially thought the beneficiary list was verified. But there were allegations that dead, fake, foreign and non-existent individuals were receiving assistance. The number is approximately three million,” he said.
“To ensure financial transparency, our Cabinet feels that only the West Bengal resident women who are eligible for the financial security assistance must get its benefit,” Adhikari said.
Lakshmir Bhandar, launched by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee in February 2021, provided monthly assistance of ₹1,500 to general category homemakers and ₹1,700 to SC/ST women.
The BJP government earlier this month approved the Annapurna Yojana, under which beneficiaries would receive ₹3,000 per month, fulfilling a key poll promise.
According to Adhikari, around 22 million people currently receive benefits under Lakshmir Bhandar, but the final list under Annapurna Yojana is expected to have around 20 million genuine beneficiaries.
He cited the example of a man from Murshidabad district allegedly listed as a beneficiary under the women-only scheme to underline lapses in verification.
The scheme will roll out from June 1, with payments directly transferred to bank accounts. Existing beneficiaries will continue receiving Lakshmir Bhandar assistance until they enrol in Annapurna Yojana, officials said.
