Amid mounting protests across West Bengal over non-receipt of benefits under the Annapurna Yojana, the state government has announced that it will introduce an 'Edit' option on the scheme's online portal, allowing rejected applicants to correct errors in their submissions and view the specific reasons behind the rejection of their applications.
The move comes after several districts witnessed demonstrations by women who alleged they had been excluded from the scheme despite being eligible. In multiple incidents, government officials, including BDOs, municipal employees and panchayat functionaries, faced protests, with some demonstrators hurling eggs and staging gheraos over delayed or rejected payments.
Seeking to allay concerns, officials at Nabanna said there was "no reason for panic", asserting that eligible beneficiaries would continue receiving financial assistance under the flagship welfare scheme.
"There is no reason for eligible beneficiaries to worry. Women who qualify for the scheme will receive the ₹3,000 monthly assistance," officials at Nabanna said.
The BJP government had earmarked ₹36,000 crore for Annapurna Yojana in its first state budget. Under the scheme, eligible women aged between 25 and 60 years are entitled to receive ₹3,000 per month.
According to government estimates, nearly 1.7 crore women are expected to benefit from the scheme, taking the state's monthly expenditure to around ₹5,100 crore, or roughly ₹61,200 crore annually.
Officials maintained that despite concerns over the state's financial condition, funding for the scheme would not be affected.
The government said the newly introduced 'Edit' feature will allow applicants whose forms have been rejected to update incorrect or incomplete information instead of submitting fresh applications. Applicants will also be able to log into the portal and check the exact reason why their applications were rejected.
"The 'Edit' option will help applicants rectify mistakes made while filling up the form and understand why their applications were rejected," officials said.
According to Nabanna, a large number of rejected applications were not due to financial ineligibility but because of Aadhaar and mobile number mismatches.
Officials said several applicants had not linked their mobile numbers with Aadhaar, while others had used different mobile numbers while enrolling for previous welfare schemes. In some cases, the same mobile number was found to have been used for multiple government schemes, leading to verification issues.
The government clarified that applicants who are income tax payers, government employees or otherwise financially ineligible have also been excluded from the scheme.
Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal had earlier stated that 1.62 crore applications had been received for Annapurna Yojana. Of these, 1.22 crore applications have been approved, while more than 27 lakh applications have been rejected. The government has set a target of completing the verification of rejected applications by July 10.
Officials also addressed concerns raised by women who had received benefits under the previous Lakshmir Bhandar scheme in June but did not receive Annapurna payments in July.
"There are several cases where payments could not be processed despite our attempts. Once the 'Edit' option is activated, such issues are expected to be resolved," a senior government official said.
The administration expressed confidence that the new portal features would reduce confusion, speed up verification and ensure that all eligible beneficiaries receive their monthly assistance under the Annapurna Yojana.
