West Bengal Annapurna Yojana: The West Bengal government has notified the Annapurna Yojana for women in the state. The scheme was listed on the official department notice page on 20 May 2026 and it is set to begin on 1 June 2026. Under the plan, eligible women will get ₹3,000 every month, and the money will go straight to the beneficiary’s Aadhaar-linked bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). The official Annapurna Yojana portal is already live, and it offers form downloads in English, Bengali, and Hindi.
The government has said the scheme is meant for women who live in West Bengal and meet the set rules. The new page on the state portal also shows that the form can be downloaded online, while the department notice confirms the scheme’s launch date.
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Who Can get it?
The new scheme is for women aged 25 to 60 years who do not work in government jobs and do not pay taxes. These women can apply for the monthly aid if they meet the other conditions too. The state says many existing Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries will move to the new scheme, but not everyone will stay in the list. The notification says:
“All the existing beneficiaries of Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme shall be migrated to the Annapurna Yojana except dead, shifted, deleted and absentee electors identified during SIR-2026, deleted in the 2nd list after publication of draft list, deleted after adjudication, ASDD found during voter slip distribution. Beneficiaries who have filed appeal before the SIR Tribunal / applications under Citizenship (Amendment) Act, shall get financial assistance under the New Scheme till disposal of their applications. Likewise, names of dead and shifted beneficiaries will be deleted in future on a regular basis,” added the notification.
How to Apply?
The application form was made available from 27 May 2026 on the portal and at Nabanna.
- People can download it from https://socialsecurity.wb.gov.in/login by clicking the Download Annapurna Yojana Form button.
The form is available in English, Bengali, and Hindi. After filling it out, applicants can submit it at their local block, municipal, or Panchayat office. The state has also said a Janakalyan Shibir will be held from 15 June to 17 June, where forms can be submitted too.
To apply, people need basic papers such as Aadhaar card, voter ID, proof of residence, bank passbook or statement, and a passport-size photograph. The form also asks for family identity details, ration card or food subsidy information, assets, job or income details, identity papers, social status, dependants, other government benefits, and a signature with consent.
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Final Approval
After the forms are submitted, government officers will check the details. In rural areas, the Block Development Officers (BDOs) will send the eligible names to the District Magistrate.
Urban areas, the Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs) will do that work. In the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area, officers of the corporation will handle the process, and the Commissioner of KMC will be the sanctioning authority there. The enquiry report for approved cases will also be uploaded on the Annapurna Yojana portal.
