Kolkata, 17 September (H.S.): West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari made several crucial announcements for women, students, and health workers from the stage of 'Annapurna Diwas' on Thursday, on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday. He announced that the ownership rights of more than 50 lakh new houses to be built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in the state will be registered directly in the names of the women of the household.

The Chief Minister declared that September 17 will be celebrated as 'Annapurna Diwas' across the state every year. He informed that as per the designated plan, financial assistance of Rs 3,000 under the Annapurna Yojana is being transferred to the bank accounts of about 1.58 crore women in the state on Thursday itself. He also clarified that working women earning a monthly salary of less than Rs 10,000 will be brought under the ambit of this scheme.

Expanding the scope of women and child development schemes, the Chief Minister stated that the honorarium for ASHA and ICDS workers has been increased by Rs 5,000, and for Pranimitras by Rs 2,000. Additionally, the nutrition diet budget for pregnant women visiting ICDS centers has been increased from Rs 12 to Rs 14.

To support female students in the field of education, the Chief Minister announced that the scholarship of Rs 1,000 provided under the 'Kanyaratna Yojana' will be increased to Rs 2,000 from the year 2027. Furthermore, female students who pass their 12th standard exams and enroll in college will be provided a total financial assistance of Rs 50,000 over three years for higher education, starting from January 2027.

Mentioning the 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' launched on the Prime Minister's birthday, the Chief Minister called for a 'Drug-Free India, Drug-Free West Bengal' and appealed to women to come forward to eradicate the illegal drug trade..

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh