West Bengal Annapurna Yojana: How to apply and fill the form?

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Tuesday (26 May 2026) that the state government will start issuing forms for the Annapurna Yojana from 27 May 2026. Speaking after an administrative meeting in Kalyani, Mr Adhikari said the process would formally begin on Wednesday (20267).

Annapurna Yojana

Under this scheme, women will get ₹3,000 per month. The existing Lakshmir Bhandar scheme will continue till the new scheme is fully implemented.

“As we continue Swasthya Sathi until its conversion to Ayushman Bharat is completed, similarly until Annapurna Yojana is fully launched, Lakshmir Bhandar will continue. From tomorrow the process for Annapurna Yojana begins,” he said.

Mr. Adhikari said that the form for Annapurna Yojana will be released from the State Secretariat on Wednesday (May 27, 2026) evening along with Minister Agnimitra Paul.

He said the forms for this system will be issued from Nabanna and made available both online and offline.

“I along with Minister Agnimitra Paul will release the form for Annapurna Yojana from Nabanna tomorrow in the presence of Chief Secretary and Home Minister. Detailed instructions will also be announced,” he said.

A new cash assistance system for women

The Chief Minister said that the beneficiaries will start receiving payments soon after registration and verification.

“Once the forms are filled, ₹3,000 will start being credited to the accounts of the beneficiaries. The faster people complete the registration, the faster they will get the benefits,” Mr Adhikari said.

Mr Adhikari said MLAs and district officials would help the women in completing the application process. “People will not be left completely alone. MLAs will help the beneficiaries to fill the forms while teams led by Block Development Officers will go door to door to help the applicants,” he said.

Mr. Adhikari also claimed that only Indian citizens would be eligible for the scheme. “Keep in mind that only Indians will get this opportunity. India’s money is not meant for infiltrators coming from Bangladesh. That has been made clear,” he said.

Exercise for cleaning the database

The Government of West Bengal has started the verification and cleaning of the database for the beneficiaries of the proposed Annapurna Yojana. District administrations have been instructed to complete the process before launching the scheme on June 1, an official said on Friday (May 22, 2026).

According to an official order issued by the Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, the exercise is aimed at identifying and removing ineligible names from the beneficiary database and ensuring proper authentication of genuine beneficiaries.

“All existing beneficiaries of Lakshmir Bhandar scheme will be migrated to Annapurna Yojana except dead, shifted, crossed out and absent voters identified during SIR 2026, deletion in second list after publication of draft list, deletion after judgment and those identified as ASDD, that is absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate notification of government found during 19. 2026, he said.

Officials have also been directed to ensure that the Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of beneficiaries are properly updated on the portal to facilitate direct transfer of benefits.

Online portal for verification

According to a government release, a dedicated online portal is being developed for beneficiary authentication, record correction and database rationalization.

“Monitoring is done at the highest level. District progress reports are submitted to the Chief Secretary every evening to ensure that the schedules are followed,” the official added. The order further stated that the verification and cleaning of the database must be completed by May 25.

Eligibility criteria

Women between the ages of 25 and 60 who are not permanent government employees drawing salaries or pensions and not paying income tax will be eligible for financial assistance of ₹ 3,000 per month under the Annapurna Yojana.

The assistance will be credited through the Direct Benefit Transfer system to Aadhaar linked bank accounts in the name of the beneficiary.

The government also announced that an online application portal for new applicants to the program will be launched on June 1.

The notification stated that fresh applications will be reviewed by authorized government officials or Calcutta municipal officials depending on the applicant’s place of residence.

Published – 27 May 2026 14:28 IST