Approval of applications likely by Oct 30

Kolkata: District authorities were directed to ensure completion of giving approval to applications received for Lakshmir Bhandar, following proper scrutiny, by October 30.

It may be mentioned that the state government had received around 1.97 crore applications for the scheme. Under the scheme, women from general category and SC/ST category started receiving Rs 500 and Rs 1000 per month respectively.

Directions to give approval by October 30 have been given in a virtual meeting with all district magistrates headed by Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi on Tuesday.

Sources said that the state government received reports that there are many applications that remained incomplete due to issues related to caste certificate, Aadhaar and bank account. The issues have to be sorted out at the earliest.

It also came to the notice of the state secretariat that transfer of benefit to the bank account of many beneficiaries. District authorities have been directed to take necessary measures to set up teams to individually contact such beneficiaries and resolve the issues.

The state government has initiated directly transferring the amount in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries in all districts apart from the by-poll bound Cooch Behar, Nadia, North and South 24-Parganas.

The disbursement of the benefits in these districts would take place only after the bypolls that are scheduled to be held on October 30.

Lakshmir Bhandar is one of the pre-poll assurances of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and it received an overwhelming response with maximum footfall at Duare Sarkar camps of the applicants of Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. The state government needs to invest around Rs 15,000 crore every year for the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.

The Chief Minister had assured that people would get the benefit of Lakshmir Bhandar scheme before the Puja only and the Bengal government became successful in ensuring direct transfer of benefit in the bank accounts of 80 lakh beneficiaries before the state's biggest festival.

In the same virtual meeting, some of the districts have also been directed to take proper steps to help students get the facilities of Students' Credit Card as reports of non-cooperation in the end of some cooperative and other banks were received.