Now Reading: BJP chief blames sabotage for Annapurna delay amid protests in Bengal
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BJP chief blames sabotage for Annapurna delay amid protests in Bengal
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya has blamed 'system problems' and alleged sabotage for delays in disbursing Annapurna Yojana payments to eligible women, as protests spread across the state. Speaking in Howrah,…
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya has blamed 'system problems' and alleged sabotage for delays in disbursing Annapurna Yojana payments to eligible women, as protests spread across the state. Speaking in Howrah, Bhattacharya said only 2-3 per cent of beneficiaries had not received the Rs 3,000 monthly aid and promised the money would reach all. He added that nearly 50 lakh more women would be brought under the scheme.
The Federal reports that of the 1.8 crore applications received, 1.45 crore women were included in the latest payment cycle while 17 lakh were kept out after verification. Women have protested at government offices and minister residences. Bhattacharya accused the previous Trinamool Congress government of fraud in the earlier Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. Minister Agnimitra Paul has also faced protests over the issue.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The two articles from The Federal present divergent frames. The first is a neutral report of BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya attributing Annapurna delays to 'system sabotage' and claiming only 2-3% of beneficiaries are unpaid. The second article adopts a government-critical stance, foregrounding a beneficiary's unresolved application, verifying that 17 lakh applications were excluded from payment, and questioning a gap between pre-election promises and post-election eligibility filters. Together they show the BJP government's internal explanation, bureaucratic obstruction, sits uneasily alongside persistent grassroots failures. The balance of coverage suggests the core test will be whether the government can clear the 17 lakh pending applications and narrow the gap between the 1.62 crore approved beneficiaries and the 2.21 crore who received the predecessor scheme. The Assembly watches the next payment cycle for resolution.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
Sources (2): thefederal.com (neutral report), thefederal.com (2) (government critical)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
