The West Bengal government has imposed strict rules for the new Annapurna scheme. Triple or more marriages, not vaccinating children, changing schools in some cases and non-citizens will not get government benefits.
Kolkata: There is an earthquake in the politics of West Bengal at this time which has attracted the attention of the entire country. The Bengal government led by newly elected Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced some such tough and unexpected decisions regarding the social welfare schemes of the state, which has created a stir from the general public to the political circles. The government clearly says that the public’s hard-earned money and government assistance will reach the pockets of only “genuinely deserving and needy” people. Under this campaign, the old ‘Lakshmi Bhandar Yojana’ has been buried in the pages of history and the new ‘Annapurna Yojana’ has been implemented in its place, but the new eligibility rules that come with it have surprised everyone.
That ‘page number 8’ of ineligibility: Who will be out of government help?
The most shocking and suspenseful aspect of this new system is the 11-page application form of Annapurna Yojana, on reaching ‘page number 8’, the applicants are sweating profusely. The government has made it clear that if a person has married more than twice, i.e. three or more times, he will be completely disqualified from this scheme. Not only this, the government has also taken a very strict stance regarding the health of children. Government assistance to parents or guardians who refuse to vaccinate their children under the government-mandated or emergency vaccination campaign (Universal Immunization Program) will be stopped immediately. The form has asked for complete vaccination chart of up to four children, which makes it clear that there is no scope left for negligence.
Keeping an eye on migration from schools: Will admission in religious institutions be costly?
There is another twist in the rules of Annapurna Yojana which has sparked debate among a large section of the society. According to the new rules, if a beneficiary’s child has left a government or government-aided school and enrolled in “certain religious educational institutions” or madrassas, the financial assistance to that family will be stopped with immediate effect. Applicants must provide accurate information about the type of school their children attend (government, private or madrassa). This step of the government is being considered as a big diplomatic move to directly modernize education and connect children with the mainstream.
Surgical strike on 30 lakh fake beneficiaries: Complete background will be investigated
The West Bengal government is currently running a huge verification drive in the state, the aim of which is to weed out about 30 lakh such dubious beneficiaries who are taking advantage of government money wrongly. This time the scope of investigation is so strict that in the new application form, applicants will have to give complete information about their property ownership, such as land, permanent house, car and any family member being in a government job, along with an affidavit. Apart from this, thorough verification will be done through ration cards and other identity cards. Also, those identified as non-Indian citizens will be immediately removed from the list.
Complete stop on religion based schemes, but women got a ‘great gift’
In this storm of policy changes, Suvendu Cabinet has taken another big and tough decision and has officially closed all financial assistance schemes based on religion. This includes the old appeasement schemes running under the Madrassa and Information and Cultural Affairs departments. However, amidst this strictness, a very good news has also come for the women of Bengal. Now the amount of direct cash transfer under Annapurna Yojana has been increased to ₹3,000 monthly allowance. Along with this, women have also been given the wonderful gift of free travel in government buses. To strengthen this new system, the state government has also launched big schemes of the Center like ‘Ayushman Bharat’ and ‘Pradhan Mantri Tea Workers Incentive Scheme’.
Opposition defeated, law strict: Scope of liquor ban and Mamata gets a big blow
Along with making changes in the welfare schemes, the government has also completely tightened the law and order situation in the state. Under the new zoning rules, there is now a complete ban on running liquor shops within a radius of one kilometer of any school, college, temple or mosque. Furthermore, through the ‘West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill’, the government has acquired unlimited powers to deal with miscreants who disturb public order. Meanwhile, another news from the political corridor has broken the back of Trinamool Congress (TMC) – Mamata Banerjee’s close aide and TMC state president Chandrima Bhattacharya has resigned from all the posts of the party, which has completely pushed the opposition on the back foot. The eyes of the entire country are fixed on what outcome this new phase that has started in Bengal will bring in the times to come.