West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said that nearly 30 lakh beneficiaries of the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme may be ineligible to receive benefits. He said the state government found that many people whose names were permanently deleted from voter lists, had not applied for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), or had not appealed before an SIR-linked tribunal were still receiving money under the scheme.

The statement came as the BJP government prepares to replace the Mamata Banerjee-led government’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme with its own Annapurna Yojana from June 1. The new scheme promises higher financial assistance for women across the state.

Adhikari made the remarks during a virtual press conference from Nabanna on the same day that the Supreme Court upheld the legal validity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. However, the apex court also clarified that the Election Commission’s “determination, being confined to electoral purposes, cannot assume finality on the question of citizenship”.

“We thought that the Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiary list was verified. But we received many complaints that approximately 30 lakh people whose names have been permanently deleted from the voter list, did not apply for (citizenship under) CAA, or have not appealed to a tribunal are receiving money. We will have a clear idea (about the number) when we receive the forms,” Adhikari said.

Lakshmir Bhandar currently has around 2.2 crore beneficiaries across West Bengal. According to the Chief Minister, those already receiving money under the old scheme will continue to get benefits until the fresh verification process is completed under Annapurna Yojana.

“Those who are receiving Lakshmir Bhandar money will continue to receive it after they fill the forms for the Annapurna Yojana and are approved. The government’s main objective is to create a clean list before giving Annapurna Yojana by removing ineligible persons from the list of beneficiaries from the Lakshmir Bhandar,” the CM said.

Adhikari also alleged that several irregularities had taken place because of poor verification during the previous government’s tenure. He claimed that even men had received benefits meant only for women.

“Rakibul Sheikh, whose father’s name is Mansur Sheikh and who is a resident of Radharghat-1 gram panchayat in Baharampur, is getting Lakshmir Bhandar money. Such fake things happened because of a lack of verification,” he said.

The Bengal government’s move follows a similar verification exercise conducted by the BJP-led Maharashtra government under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. In Maharashtra, nearly 69 lakh beneficiaries were removed after authorities found that many failed to meet eligibility rules, complete e-KYC formalities, or submit proper documents.

The number of beneficiaries in Maharashtra reportedly dropped from around 2.46 crore during the 2024 Assembly elections to nearly 1.77 crore after verification. Under that scheme, eligible women receive Rs 1,500 every month. Following the reduction in beneficiaries, the annual expenditure of the scheme reportedly came down from nearly Rs 45,000 crore to around Rs 26,000 crore.

Lakshmi Bhandar was introduced by the Mamata Banerjee government in 2021. Under the scheme, women between 25 and 60 years of age received monthly financial support. The amount was increased several times over the years. Women from the general category were receiving Rs 1,500 per month, while women from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities received Rs 1,700.

The BJP government has now announced that under Annapurna Yojana, eligible women will receive Rs 3,000 per month. The government plans to begin a fresh enrolment process for the new scheme.

According to officials, fresh application forms will be issued and people will get 90 days to complete the process. Those who submit forms by June 2 and get approval will start receiving money from next month itself.

Till the verification process is complete, existing Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries will continue to receive the amount they used to get under the old scheme. The Department of Women and Child Development, headed by minister Agnimitra Paul, will act as the nodal agency for the implementation of Annapurna Yojana.

“As it is a huge task (the migration to the new scheme), under the leadership of the Chief Secretary, many departments, local administration, and the IT department will also help to make a transparent list. In this form, we had to ask people to provide details of their families because we want to create a database. So, we are appealing to all people to provide all that information in this form,” said Adhikari.

The Chief Minister also urged people not to rush during the application process as the government has given enough time for enrolment.

“People need not hurry because the government is giving time for 90 days to enrol in this Yojna. The form can be submitted both online and offline. In the panchayat and municipality areas, local bodies will be involved and supervisors will visit homes to collect the forms. Newly elected MLA will also be involved in the process,” he added.

The state government will also organise “Janakalyan Shibir (people’s welfare camps)” across West Bengal between June 15 and June 17. Citizens will be able to submit their application forms at these camps as well.

Government officials said women who pay income tax, current and former state government employees, and Central government employees will not be eligible for benefits under the scheme.