KOLKATA: More than 1.53 crore women have received benefits under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme so far.
Under the scheme, cash worth Rs 1,000 is transferred directly to the bank accounts of SC and ST women and Rs 500 to the women of general caste aged between 25 and 60 years.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had introduced the scheme in September 2021 after coming to power for the third consecutive time. It is another step towards the empowerment of women.
As many as 20 lakh women across the state received benefits under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme in May. Banerjee handed over token cheques to 15 women from the dais of Netaji Indoor Stadium and announced that the monetary benefit of the scheme would be credited to 20 lakh women on May 5.
The District Magistrates (DMs) were present along with the beneficiaries in a centralised venue in every district, who were connected through video conference.
The allocation under Lakshmir Bhandar has been made in the state Budget and an extra Rs 240 crore per month is being spent from the government exchequer for this.
According to sources in the Social Welfare department that executes this project, the highest number of beneficiaries is from North and South 24-Parganas, North Dinajpur and Hooghly.