‘No liquor shops within 1km of educational institutions and temples’: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari
The Statesman | 27 May 2026
Liquor shops will not be permitted to operate within a one-kilometre radius of schools, colleges and temples, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced while addressing an administrative meeting in Nadia’s Kalyani on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Adhikari said the decision was aimed at protecting educational institutions and religious places from the social impact of liquor consumption, while also ensuring that cases of public nuisance and mischief are not reported near schools, colleges, and temples.
The announcement is one of the several key policy measures highlighted during the administrative meeting attended by elected representatives and senior officials from three districts, including Nadia, Hooghly, and North 24 Parganas.
“Liquor shops will not be permitted to operate within a 1km radius of schools, colleges, and temples. This will ensure that the youngsters are not swayed by the lure of alcohol and help build a stronger civil society in the state,” Adhikari said.
Adhikari also announced that application forms for the Annapurna Yojana would be issued from May 27. This scheme was one of the most talked-about points in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manifesto during the election campaign. The scheme entitles eligible women to receive financial assistance of Rs 3,000 every month through direct bank transfers (DBT).
The Bengal government is expected to roll out the programme in phases, with district administrations coordinating the distribution and verification process.
The Chief Minister said the scheme was intended to provide direct economic support to women and strengthen household financial security, particularly among economically weaker sections.
Officials present at the meeting were instructed to ensure the smooth implementation and timely processing of applications once the distribution begins.
Addressing party leaders, MLAs, and administrative officials, Adhikari stressed the importance of coordination between the government and district-level authorities. He said the state administration was conducting a series of regional meetings to familiarise officials with the government’s priorities, development agenda, and governance model.
“We had a similar meeting in Durgapur covering Bankura, East Bardhaman, and West Bardhaman. On Tuesday, we came to Nadia to meet regarding issues pertaining to Nadia, North 24 Parganas, and Hooghly. Similar meetings will be held in Malda covering Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, and Dakshin Dinajpur. Another such meeting will be held in Kolaghat, covering East Medinipur, West Medinipur, Jhargram, and Howrah. Our main focus is on coordination between elected MLAs and the administration. A new system has been introduced where it is not the rule of the ruler, but the rule of law,” Adhikari said.
According to the Chief Minister, the outreach initiative is designed to bridge communication gaps between elected representatives and the bureaucracy while ensuring that policy decisions are implemented efficiently at the grassroots level. He said ministers, MLAs, and district officials must work in close coordination to address public grievances and accelerate developmental work.
Adhikari also underlined the importance of taking the government’s vision and manifesto commitments to every level of the administration. Referring to the political mandate received by the ruling dispensation, he said the government was committed to functioning with transparency, accountability and a focus on public welfare.
He added that the administration should function within a framework guided by law and institutional responsibility rather than arbitrary authority. The Chief Minister said governance reforms and administrative restructuring were necessary to improve service delivery and restore public confidence in government institutions.
Notably, Tuesday’s meeting saw the presence of senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar at a high-level administrative meeting in Kalyani, which sparked fresh political speculation amid growing uncertainty over her future within the party.
Ghosh Dastidar had arrived at the venue alongside TMC MLA from Deganga Anisur Rahaman Bidesh and TMC MLA from Swarupnagar Bina Mondal ahead of the review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in Kalyani.