KOLKATA: In a major pre-election move, the West Bengal government has hiked monthly payouts under its flagship Lakshmi Bhandar scheme by Rs 500 for every beneficiary. Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya announced this in the interim budget for 2026-27 presented in the assembly on Thursday.
Currently, women from the general category receive Rs 1,000 monthly, while those from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) get Rs 1,200. Post-hike, general category women will now get Rs 1,500, and SC/ST women Rs 1,700 each month. The scheme has been allocated a whopping Rs 15,000 crore in the interim budget.
Bhattacharya also announced a 4% increase in dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners, providing much-needed relief amid rising inflation. The minister unveiled plans for a new youth initiative called ‘Banglar Yuva Sathi’, promising Rs 1,500 monthly stipend to secondary exam pass-outs aged 21-40, to launch on August 15 if the ruling party returns to power post-elections.
Additional boosts include Rs 1,000 monthly raise for civic volunteers and Green Police personnel (Rs 150 crore allocation), and similar hikes for grassroots ‘Shiksha Bandhus’ under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The state also committed to implementing the 7th Pay Commission.
The interim vote-on-account budget totals Rs 4,600 crore. The full budget for 2026-27 will be presented by the new cabinet after the crucial assembly elections later this year, signaling the government’s confidence in retaining power.