WB government’s Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme bags prestigious SKOCH Award

Hon’ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday shared on Twitter that the West Bengal Government’s welfare scheme Lakshmir Bhandar has received the prestigious Skoch Award in the Women and Child Development category. Instituted in 2021, the scheme provides financial assistance to the women of deserving families of the state. The scheme is intended to ensure monthly basic income support to women heads of 1.8 crore households in the state. Under the scheme, the government provides Rs 500 per month to general category families, and Rs 1,000 to SC/ST families.

Taking to twitter, the Chief Minister wrote, “I am proud to announce that GoWB's welfare scheme Lakshmir Bhandar has received the Skoch Award in the Women and Child Development category. Women empowerment has always been a priority for us. It's a recognition not only for the Govt but also the 1.8 Cr empowered females of WB.”

The West Bengal government has received many such awards in the past. In May this year, West Bengal bagged the prestigious ‘Star of Governance-SKOCH Award in Education.’ SKOCH Awards, instituted in 2003, aims to recognise people, projects and institutions that go the extra mile to make India a better nation. Among the districts of Bengal who are under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, North 24 Parganas has the highest number of beneficiaries, followed by South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Hooghly. Every month the state government pays around 1090 crores for this welfare scheme. The state government is giving a window between November 1-30th for those who have still not applied for the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. They can do so through the Duare Sarkar camps to start from November 1.