Launch of youth dole hastened: Yuva Sathi from April 1, application camps in February
Telegraph | 11 February 2026
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced that Yuva Sathi — a scheme to assist unemployed youths in poll-bound Bengal — would commence from April 1 instead of August 15 as announced during the state's vote-on-account on February 5.
Under the scheme, those aged between 21 and 40 years who have passed Madhyamik exams would get a monthly assistance of ₹1,500 for a period of five years or till they get jobs.
“Recently, an interim state budget was presented, where we announced some new schemes. Earlier, we decided to launch Yuva Sathi from August 15. But since the financial year begins on April 1, we have decided to implement the scheme from April 1,” said the chief minister at Nabanna on Tuesday.
Mamata said that since there was little time to receive applications from potential beneficiaries of Yuva Sathi, the government would set up camps to be set up between February 15 and 26 in each of the 294 Assembly segments to receive applications.
“As there is little time before we commence the scheme, we will set up one camp in each of the 294 Assembly segments where the eligible youths will be able to submit their applications physically. We are not arranging any online facility only because of time constraints,” Mamata clarified.
Youths who are beneficiaries of any other government schemes would not be eligible for the scheme. But the chief minister said on Tuesday that students getting scholarships would be eligible for Yuva Sathi benefits if they fulfil other socio-economic criteria.
Although Mamata said that the scheme would be launched ahead of the announced schedule to match the beginning of the financial year, ruling Trinamool Congress sources said the start of the scheme was brought ahead only because she wanted to reach out to educated, unemployed youths ahead of the polls.
“Unemployed youths were unhappy with the government over the lack of employment opportunities in Bengal. The anger of this section in the society has sharpened after allegations of irregularities in the recruitment of teachers in the state-aided schools. Now, it is important to reach out to them ahead of the polls as they could turn the tables in the Opposition's favour,” said a Trinamool insider.
A source said that the scheme was hastened after the Opposition, mainly the BJP, campaigned that the scheme, scheduled for an August debut, was a "hoax because the Trinamool-led government would be voted out of power by then".
“Many Opposition leaders were saying that the scheme has no importance as it would be implemented from August. BJP leaders were claiming that they would announce a revised scheme if they came to power. In a bid to counter it, the scheme would now be launched from April 1, the month when the state goes to polls,” said a source.
Not only Yuva Sathi, the state government would receive applications from landless farm labourers in the camps. Landless farm labourers would get a sum of ₹4,000 annually in two instalments. Farmers who wish to get a waiver of electricity bills upto ₹2,000 to run submersible pumps can also submit applications in the camps.