Lakshmir Bhandar: State ensuring direct transfer of benefit to over 15 lakh women from SC/ST community

Kolkata: With Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's effort to ensure empowerment of women from all communities in the state, the Bengal government is ensuring direct transfer of benefit of Lakshmir Bhandar scheme to over 15 lakh women from SC/ST community.

This comes when BJP-run states Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh have recorded high rate of crimes against the people from scheduled caste community. At the same time there were only 373 similar cases, which is the lowest, in Bengal.

A recently released data revealed that 36,467, 20,973 and 16,952 cases of similar crimes were recorded in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh respectively in between 2018 and 2020.

Lakshmir Bhandar scheme was one of the ten assurances given by the Chief Minister ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.

It was implemented within a few months after she came to power for the third consecutive term.

Women started receiving the benefits of the scheme ahead of Durga Puja that is from the month of September. Under the scheme beneficiaries from SC/ST community is receiving Rs 1000 each per month while the women from general category are receiving Rs 500 each within the third day of every month.

Already the beneficiaries have received the same for the months of September, October, November and December. Each month the state government disburses around Rs 800 to ensure women empowerment through the scheme.

As per the data of the state government there are around 15 lakh beneficiaries those are receiving the benefits of the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.

Women and Child Development and Social Welfare department is implementing the scheme and after receiving the 1.5 crore applications in a month, it has ensured direct transfer of benefits in the bank accounts of 1.49 crore women in the next one month time.

A senior state government officer said that 15 lakh beneficiaries is receiving Rs 1000 each and timely dissemination of the benefits has been ensured.

The number of beneficiaries would be further going up as new applications would be received through the Duare Sarkar camps that is going to be held across the state from January 1 to 30, with a gap from January 11 to 19.