West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday (July 1, 2026) said the first tranche of funds under the Annapurna Yojana, a financial assistance scheme for women, was transferred to nearly 1.1 crore beneficiaries.

Mr. Adhikari also said 1.6 crore applications were received for the scheme, and 26 lakh of them were rejected on grounds of doubts over citizenship and domicile status.

Speaking at the official launch of the scheme at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, he said, “Twenty-six lakh applications under the Annapurna Yojana have been rejected. Scrutiny is necessary."

The Annapurna Yojana was introduced by the BJP government to provide a monthly allowance of ₹3,000 to eligible women, replacing the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ programme of the previous TMC regime.

"We cannot transfer taxpayers' money from the government coffers to non-Indians," Mr. Adhikari said, while justifying the rejection of 26 lakh Annapurna Yojana applications.

He said eligible beneficiaries under the scheme were identified before transferring the amount to their bank accounts.