West Bengal to Launch Annapurna Scheme, Offering Rs 3,000 Monthly Aid to Women

The West Bengal government is launching the Annapurna Scheme from June 01, 2026. This scheme is a welfare initiative aimed at giving financial support to women in the state. Under this scheme, eligible women will receive monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000. This amount will be directly transferred into their registered bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. This move is seen as one of the most significant welfare announcements in the state.

This scheme is expected to replace or expand the scheme earlier called the Lakshmir Bhandar programme, as per PTI. The Lakshmir Bhandar provided monthly aid to women from the economically weaker households. This scheme provided lower monthly assistance, whereas the Annapurna scheme provides a substantial increase in support. This update of this scheme reflects the government’s focus on women-centric welfare and household stability. Women who are already under the scheme of the Lakshmir Bhandar programme will be shifted to the new system once the verification is completed.

This initiative aims to empower women financially and improve the economic condition of their families, who rely on informal or low-income sources of earning. This assistance is expected to help the beneficiaries manage daily household expenses, healthcare costs, education-related spending, and other essential needs. The scheme provides direct financial support to women in order to improve decision-making in the household as well as provide security to vulnerable families.

The scheme is reportedly focusing on women belonging to low-income and economically weaker sections of society. Though a detailed eligibility criterion has not yet been released, applicants are required to provide their identity proof, Aadhaar linkage, residence documents, and bank account details for enrolment under the new scheme.

The announcement of this scheme has generated public interest, which has led authorities to also issue warnings about the fraudulent activities and fake registration portals. It is advised not to share bank details, OTP’s or Aadhaar information on any unofficial platform. Since no formal registration has started, any official announcement will be made through government channels and camps.

The launch of this new scheme is expected to have a major social and political impact in the state, as well as for the women beneficiaries in rural and semi-urban areas. One must be cautious while registering.