West Bengal begins Annapurna Yojana fund transfers to 14.5 million women

The West Bengal government has initiated the disbursement of funds for the Annapurna Yojana, a social welfare program providing financial support to women. Approximately 14.5 million eligible beneficiaries are scheduled to receive an installment of Rs 3,000 directly into their bank accounts. The payment process began on August 17 and is expected to conclude by August 20.

To support the scheme, the state has increased its annual budget allocation from Rs 36,000 crore to Rs 48,000 crore, representing an additional Rs 12,000 crore.

While over 18 million applications were received, roughly 17 lakh applications have been rejected, primarily due to discrepancies between names on applications and Aadhaar records. Beneficiaries who have not yet received their funds by August 20 are advised to verify their eligibility and bank details through official state government platforms.