Annapurna Yojana beneficiaries protest fund delays across Bengal
Times of India | 22 August 2026
Kolkata: Protests erupted across Bengal on Friday as Annapurna Yojana beneficiaries raised concerns over non-payment of funds.
In Midnapore, urban development minister Agnimitra Paul and MLA Sankar Guchait faced demonstrations at the district magistrate’s office. Women holding certificates of previous Lakshmir Bhandar payments surrounded the minister, claiming the dole stopped after a change of govt. Protesters entered the ground floor during an administrative meeting, forcing officials to halt proceedings around 2.30pm.
Addressing the crowd, Paul urged patience, stressing that processing applications of two crore women takes time. Blaming opposition party members for disruptions, Paul asked claimants to submit details at SDO or BDO offices and directed the district magistrate to appoint a nodal officer. Guchait said he had sought details from the sub-divisional officer on applicants across 25 municipal wards, adding that the affected individuals were BJP supporters.
A day earlier, around 100 women gathered outside the residence of state women and child development minister Malati Rabha Roy in Cooch Behar, demanding answers over their exclusion from the scheme. On Friday, over 100 residents demonstrated outside Jalpaiguri Sadar BDO office with similar grievances.
Agitation reached Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon. At Behala Chowrasta, 50 women blocked the BDO office near the main intersection, disrupting traffic on Diamond Harbour Road and Biren Roy Road. Demonstrator Swapna Kar said administrative offices claimed paperwork was missing despite online approvals. At Phoolbagan, over 150 women blocked the road near KMC Borough III office for 50 minutes before police dispersed the crowd.
North 24-Parganas saw significant disruptions on Friday. Hundreds of women from North Dum Dum, Nimta and Birati squatted on tracks at Birati station along Sealdah-Bongaon section, halting train movement for over an hour and stranding a Down Hasnabad-Sealdah local at 1.35pm. Protester Arpita Chakraborty said funds were not credited despite an Aug 20 target. In Habra, women blocked tracks and demonstrated outside Habra municipality office.
In Hooghly, women from Hindmotor, Makhla and Uttarpara demonstrated at Uttarpara-Kotrang municipality before blocking Grand Trunk Road. Similar protests occurred outside Tarakeswar municipality office and the MLA service centre in Arambagh. During chief minister Suvendu Adhikari’s visit to Arambagh on Thursday, residents submitted representations demanding immediate release of funds.