Kolkata/New Delhi, Sep 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the West Bengal government aims to ensure that every eligible woman gets the benefits of the Annapurna Yojana, as the state government transferred money to 1.58 crore beneficiaries on the occasion of his birthday.
Addressing a programme at Salt Lake in Kolkata, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said Modi’s birthday on September 17 will be observed as ‘Annapurna Divas’ in the state every year as the Rs 3,000 monthly assistance under the scheme was guaranteed by him.
The Annapurna Yojana is a West Bengal government scheme that provides eligible women with Rs 3,000 per month through direct bank transfers.
Virtually addressing an ‘Annapurna Divas’ event organised by the West Bengal government, Modi said a major grievance of the people of the state in the last 12 years was that the benefits of several central schemes did not reach them on time.
Without referring to the previous Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government, Modi said poor families suffered the most as they did not receive the benefits of central schemes, but now, under the BJP government, the stalled schemes have been accelerated.
“Our vision is that the women of Bengal should have both the power to make decisions and the courage to move forward. The scheme plays a crucial role in this. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the beneficiary mothers and sisters of the scheme,” Modi said.
The PM said for a mother, this amount could be the money for her child’s education; for a sister, it could support the purchase of medicines or essential items for the household.
“At our homes, our mothers and sisters carry numerous responsibilities on their shoulders. While making countless small and big decisions, a woman takes care of the family in every possible way. When their concern regarding essential household expenses decreases, their confidence naturally grows. The scheme is a major initiative aimed at strengthening the confidence of the women of Bengal,” Modi said.
Speaking on the occasion, Adhikari said, “Every year, September 17 will be celebrated as ‘Annapurna Divas’ because the scheme was Modi’s guarantee. We have already implemented it for a large section of women.”
The chief minister said the cash benefit has been transferred to the accounts of most of the 1.58 crore Annapurna Yojana beneficiaries for the September instalment, and the rest will be done by the end of the day.
Adhikari also used the occasion to speak about the PM Awaas Yojana. “Modi has announced the preparation of a list of 50 lakh beneficiaries in Bengal under the scheme. All new houses under it will be owned by women,” the CM said.
Women sports personalities, including Poulami Ghatak, Indu Puri and Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, inaugurated the programme to celebrate Annapurna Divas.
Speaking about crimes against women, Adhikari said, “In the last four months, we have set up a commission headed by Justice Samapti Chatterjee (retired) to inquire into atrocities on women in the state.”
Adhikari asserted that the BJP government is committed to ensuring that no woman in the state is subjected to atrocities.
He called upon the state’s women to come forward to create an addiction-free Bengal.
Pointing out that the state is in a precarious position in teenage marriages and teenage pregnancy, the CM said Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas districts are leading on these counts.
“I assure that during this government’s tenure, no girl under the age of 18 years will be allowed to be married. Those who have done so and those who assisted such marriages will be punished as per law,” Adhikari said.
In his speech, the PM also asserted the government’s priority in resolving every issue across the life cycle of mothers, sisters and daughters.
“Today, through the Annapurna Yojana, a new strength has been added to the lives of the mothers and sisters in Bengal. There are no middlemen and no ‘cut money’. Our government aims to ensure that not a single eligible woman is deprived of the benefits of Annapurna Yojana. We are working relentlessly towards achieving this goal.”
The PM said Bengal’s women have seen many hardships and waited for long for several things, pointing out that because of this the foremost challenge before the BJP government in the state was “to ensure ease of living in their lives.”
