Kolkata
The West Bengal cabinet on Monday approved the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission for state government employees and cleared several major welfare initiatives, including a new monthly financial assistance scheme for women and free bus rides for women on state-run transport services.
State minister Agnimitra Paul announced the decisions after the cabinet meeting, stating that the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission fulfilled a long-standing demand of state government employees. She said the issue was discussed during the meeting and the proposal received formal approval from the cabinet.
The minister also confirmed that the cabinet cleared the implementation of the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme, a monthly financial assistance scheme for women proposed in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election manifesto during the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections. Under the new scheme, eligible women beneficiaries will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 3,000.
According to Paul, women already receiving benefits under the earlier Lakshmir Bhandar scheme introduced by the previous government led by Mamata Banerjee will automatically be transferred to the new Annapurna Bhandar system. She said the funds would continue to be directly deposited into beneficiaries’ bank accounts without requiring fresh registration for existing recipients.
The minister added that women who were not covered under the previous scheme would now be able to apply for enrollment under the new programme. A dedicated online portal for new applications is expected to be launched shortly by the state government.
In another major welfare measure, the cabinet approved free travel for all women on state-run public buses beginning June 1. The initiative is expected to benefit thousands of women commuters across urban and rural areas of the state by reducing transportation costs and improving access to public mobility.
Paul clarified that no immediate decision had been taken regarding an increase in the number of buses operating under the state transport network. She said the government plans to utilize the existing transport infrastructure for the rollout of the free travel scheme. However, she added that the chief minister informed the cabinet that additional electric buses could be introduced into the state transport system in the future.
The cabinet also decided to discontinue all supportive schemes and scholarships based on religious classifications under the state’s Information and Cultural Affairs Department and the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department from next month. According to the minister, such benefits will remain available only for the current month and will officially end from June 1 onward.