In a significant policy announcement aimed at strengthening social welfare and tightening regulations, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday unveiled a series of initiatives in Kalyani, including restrictions on liquor shops near educational and religious institutions, a new financial assistance scheme for women, and subsidised fish-rice meals across the state.
Addressing reporters after an administrative review meeting in Kalyani in Nadia district, the Chief Minister said liquor shops would no longer be allowed within a one-kilometre radius of schools, colleges and temples. The move, according to the government, is aimed at protecting educational environments and maintaining the sanctity of religious places.
Among the major announcements was the launch of the “Annapurna Yojana”, under which eligible women would receive monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000. CM Adhikari said application forms for the scheme would start being issued from the state secretariat beginning May 27.
“Annapurna Yojana forms will be issued from the state secretariat from tomorrow. All Indians are eligible to receive benefits under the scheme,” the Chief Minister said.
The welfare initiative is expected to benefit lakhs of women across West Bengal and is being seen as one of the state government’s biggest social support programmes in recent times. Officials indicated that further guidelines regarding eligibility and implementation would be issued soon.
In another people-centric initiative, the Chief Minister announced that the state government would launch nearly 400 subsidised canteens across Bengal. These canteens will provide fish-rice meals for just Rs 5, offering affordable food to economically weaker sections and daily wage earners.
The government also revealed plans to create a separate AYUSH department, which would function independently from the health department. The proposed department is expected to focus on traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
Earlier in the day, CM Adhikari chaired an administrative review meeting in Kalyani to assess development projects and welfare implementation in Nadia, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts. The meeting was attended by several MPs, MLAs and senior officials.
The presence of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar drew political attention, coming shortly after she stepped down as president of the party’s Barasat organisational district. MLAs from Deganga, Swarupnagar and Haroa also participated in the discussions.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Ghosh Dastidar stressed that the administration must remain accessible to every section of society.
Officials said the review meeting focused on speeding up grassroots development work, improving implementation of welfare schemes and monitoring the progress of ongoing infrastructure and public service projects in the three districts.
The announcements are likely to have a strong social and political impact, particularly ahead of upcoming local governance and administrative initiatives in the state.
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