BJP GOVERNMENT IN WEST BENGAL AXES MADRASA, MINORITY AID SCHEMES

Tue 19 May 2026:

The West Bengal cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, decided on Monday to end government assistance schemes based on religious categorisation starting in June. The move includes programmes under the madrasa and minority affairs departments.

The move effectively ends several religion-linked welfare programmes introduced under the previous All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government led by Mamata Banerjee.

Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting at Nabanna, minister Agnimitra Paul said schemes run by the departments of Information and Cultural Affairs and Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education under religious categorisation would continue only until the end of May and be discontinued from June.

The government also scrapped the existing state OBC list in line with a Calcutta High Court judgment and announced plans to set up a new panel to determine quota eligibility. The move comes days after the new government reportedly withdrew a petition filed by the previous TMC administration challenging the high court’s stay on the OBC list rollout.

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Last year, a bench led by the Chief Justice of India in the Supreme Court of India had vacated the high court’s stay on the implementation of a revised OBC list containing 140 sub-groups under OBC-A and OBC-B categories, including 80 Muslim groups. The earlier list struck down by the high court had included 113 OBC sub-groups, 77 of them from the Muslim community.

Paul also announced that women applying for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and those approaching tribunals for inclusion in voter rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise would be eligible for benefits under the new “Annapurna” scheme.

Under the scheme, women will receive Rs 3,000 in monthly financial assistance starting June 1. The cabinet also approved free travel for women on state-run buses beginning next month.

The measures were among the key promises made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the recent assembly election campaign. The new scheme offers double the amount provided under the previous TMC government’s “Lakshmir Bhandar” programme, which gave Rs 1,500 per month.

Paul further said the cabinet approved the formation of the 7th State Pay Commission for government employees, workers in statutory civic bodies, education boards and staff in state-run educational institutions.

Responding to questions on dearness allowance (DA), Paul said the issue was not discussed during Monday’s cabinet meeting and would be taken up later.

Since taking office, the BJP led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has introduced several measures that critics say disproportionately affect Muslims, including tighter restrictions on animal slaughter ahead of Eid al-Adha, and action against public prayers on roads.

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