Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme: Now Annapurna Bhandar (2026 Update)

What Lakshmir Bhandar Originally Offered

Lakshmir Bhandar was launched in February 2021 as West Bengal's flagship monthly cash transfer scheme for women, quickly becoming one of the largest women-targeted direct benefit transfer (DBT) programmes in India, at its peak, roughly 2.2 crore women were enrolled state-wide. It provided:

• ₹1,500 per month to women from General category households.
• ₹1,700 per month to women from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) category households.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payments directly credited into the beneficiary's single Aadhaar-linked bank account, typically during the first week of each month. The scheme represented a structural shift in state welfare delivery by establishing direct financial autonomy for adult women in rural and urban households across West Bengal.

The original scheme required beneficiaries to be enrolled under Swasthya Sathi (West Bengal's state health insurance scheme), be a permanent female resident of the state, and meet income-related exclusion criteria, for example, households with an income-tax-paying member, or owning more than 2 hectares of agricultural land, were generally excluded from General-category eligibility.

Given that Swasthya Sathi has itself undergone major structural updates under the Swasthya Sathi / Ayushman Bharat transition, this Swasthya-Sathi-enrollment requirement is one more area worth checking directly on the current portal, as the underlying referenced health scheme has evolved.

Eligibility Under the New Scheme

Based on official guidelines for the ongoing Annapurna Bhandar rollout:

• Gender & Residence: Must be a permanent female resident (domicile) of West Bengal.
• Age Criteria: Must be between 25 and 60 years of age. Upon reaching 60 years, beneficiaries transition automatically to state elderly social security pensions.
• Employment Exclusion: Must not be a current or retired government employee (central or state), and not employed in a government undertaking, statutory body, municipality, panchayat, or government-aided institution drawing a regular salary or pension.
• Tax & Income Exclusions: Income-tax-paying households and families owning more than 2 hectares of agricultural land remain excluded from General category financial support.
• Bank Account Requirement: Must possess an active single-operated bank account linked to Aadhaar for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Joint bank accounts are not permitted for security compliance. If an applicant maintains only a joint account, a new single bank account must be opened in her name before submitting the Annapurna Bhandar registration.

You can explore all Women Welfare schemes in West Bengal to review complementary financial, educational, and social security benefits available to women.

What Existing Beneficiaries Need to Do

If you were already receiving Lakshmir Bhandar monthly transfers prior to June 2026:

1. Check Migration Status: Visit socialregistry.wb.gov.in and select "Track Applicant Status" using your registered mobile number or Aadhaar number, do not assume migration has occurred without verifying on screen. Be sure to check your payment status for detailed instructions.
2. Complete e-KYC Verification: If prompted on the portal, complete biometric or mobile OTP e-KYC verification to confirm active bank seeding before the revised ₹3,000 disbursement begins.
3. Verify Bank Account Seeding: Ensure your bank account remains seeded with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) mapper for Aadhaar Direct Benefit Transfer.
4. Monitor Payment Credits: If payments pause during the audit phase, review Section 6 below to resolve potential verification flags.

How to Apply If You're Not Yet Enrolled

Online Application Procedure:

1. Visit the official portal: socialregistry.wb.gov.in.
2. Click on New Applicant Registration under the Citizen Services tab.
3. Enter your active 10-digit mobile number and authenticate using the received OTP.
4. Fill in personal details, Aadhaar number, district, Gram Panchayat / Ward, and single bank account credentials (IFSC and account number).
5. Upload scanned copies of your Aadhaar card, bank passbook front page, and caste certificate (if applying under SC/ST quota).
6. Submit the form and record your generated Application Reference Number for online tracking.

Offline Application Procedure:

1. Visit your nearest Duare Sarkar outreach camp, Block Development Office (BDO), or Municipal Office.
2. Collect the physical Annapurna Bhandar application form free of charge.
3. Fill in the form in block capital letters and attach self-attested photocopies of your Aadhaar card, bank passbook, and SC/ST certificate (if applicable).
4. Submit the form at the designated counter and obtain a stamped acknowledgment receipt containing your registration ID. During Duare Sarkar camps, field officials conduct on-the-spot document scanning and initial data entry into the Social Registry portal, reducing processing delays for new applicants.

What If Your Payment Stopped

If your monthly cash transfer stopped around the mid-2026 transition period, it is frequently due to administrative migration verification rather than permanent disqualification:

• Migration Audit Pause: State treasury systems audit accounts during batch migration to verify Aadhaar-bank NPCI seeding. Accounts with minor name spelling discrepancies are placed on temporary review.
• Age Transition: Beneficiaries turning 60 years old automatically age out of Annapurna Bhandar and become eligible for senior citizen pension programs such as ST Old-Age Pension or the Old Age Allowance.
• Ineligible Exclusion Flag: Accounts flagged for government employment, pension receipt, or income tax filings are removed following audit cross-checks.

Visit your local BDO or Municipal office with your Aadhaar card and bank passbook to submit a physical re-verification claim if your online status indicates a pending hold. Field officers cross-examine physical documents against central database records to resolve holds caused by minor spelling variations in applicant names or bank branch IFSC updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

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