The West Bengal Cabinet led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday approved a series of major welfare and administrative measures, including the ‘Annapurna’ scheme providing Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to women, free travel in government-run buses and the formation of the 7th State Pay Commission.
The decisions were taken during the second Cabinet meeting of the newly formed government.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Women and Child Welfare Minister Agnimitra Paul said the ‘Annapurna’ scheme would come into effect from June 1.
"The cabinet gave a nod to the 'Annapurna' scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to women from June 1. It also approved a proposal to allow free travel for women in government-run buses from June 1," Paul said.
The minister said the measures were aimed at providing financial relief and improving mobility for women across the state.
Paul said women who had applied for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and approached tribunals for inclusion in electoral rolls would also be eligible for benefits under the scheme.
She added that beneficiaries of the existing Lakshmi Bhandar scheme would automatically receive benefits under the Annapurna programme.
The government also announced plans to launch a dedicated portal soon for eligible individuals who had not yet applied for the scheme.
The Cabinet also approved the constitution of the 7th State Pay Commission for state government employees as well as staff working in allied statutory civic bodies, educational boards and government-run educational institutions.
The move is expected to initiate the process for revision of salaries and allowances for employees across departments.
In another significant decision, the state government announced that assistance schemes based on religious categorisation would be discontinued from June.
According to the government, schemes operating under the Madrasa Department and the Information and Cultural Affairs Department linked to religion-based assistance would be withdrawn.
The Cabinet also decided to scrap the existing Other Backward Classes (OBC) list in line with a recent Calcutta High Court judgment.
Paul said a fresh inquiry panel would be constituted to determine eligibility for reservation benefits under the OBC category.
The Adhikari-led government had earlier taken several major decisions during its first Cabinet meeting after assuming office.
Among the key decisions was the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in West Bengal in coordination with the Centre.
The Cabinet had also approved implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the state.
The government further announced that IPS and IAS officers would be permitted to attend central training programmes in accordance with existing rules.
In addition, the Cabinet cleared the process for transfer of land in border areas to the Border Security Force (BSF) within 45 days.
The government had also announced support for families of 321 BJP workers allegedly killed in incidents of political violence during the previous regime.
