Kolkata, 28 May (H.S.) : The West Bengal government has released an 11-page detailed application form for the Annapurna Scheme, under which eligible women will receive monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari unveiled the form during a press conference at Nabanna on Wednesday and announced that the application process will begin on June 1 and continue for the next three months.
Although the scheme had already been announced earlier, the exact requirements and documentation needed for the application became clear only after the detailed form was made public later in the evening.
As per the form issued by the government, applicants will have to provide extensive information related to themselves and their families. Mandatory details include the name of the head of the family, date of birth, residential address, Aadhaar number, and Aadhaar-linked mobile number. Applicants must also furnish details of every family member, including names, relationships, Aadhaar information, and other personal data.
The form also requires bank account details of every adult family member. The government has made Aadhaar linkage with bank accounts compulsory. Applicants will additionally need to provide voter card numbers, Assembly constituency details, and part numbers of all family members. Families holding digital ration cards will have to submit complete ration card details as well.
Property-related disclosures have also been made mandatory. Applicants must specify whether the family owns a pucca house, disclose the amount of land owned, and submit mutation and registration documents related to the property. Information regarding ownership of four-wheelers by any family member must also be declared.
Apart from this, the form asks whether the family is already receiving benefits under any state government welfare scheme. Supporting documents related to health insurance, PAN cards, profession, and annual income will also need to be submitted. Educational qualifications and certificates of every family member have also been included in the application process.
The form further seeks information regarding annual family income, benefits received under schemes such as the Student Credit Card Scheme, citizenship applications under the CAA, deletion of names during SIR, and applications before tribunals. Details regarding children’s schools and vaccination records have also been sought.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated that the application process will be available in both online and offline modes. Government employees will assist people unable to fill out the forms themselves by visiting households directly. MLAs have also been instructed to cooperate in the implementation process.
According to the state government, the purpose of the detailed form is to create a comprehensive social and economic database of families, which may later be used for other welfare schemes as well. However, opposition parties and several citizens have raised concerns that the requirement for such a large number of documents and personal details could make the process difficult for ordinary applicants.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey
