Modi Releases Fourth Annapurna Instalment, Says Cut-Money Culture Ended in Bengal
PM Modi released the fourth instalment of ₹3,000 to about 1.5 crore women under West Bengal's Annapurna Yojana and said cut-money has ended in the State.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday released the fourth instalment of the Annapurna Yojana, transferring ₹3,000 to around 1.5 crore women beneficiaries in West Bengal, and asserted that the practice of cut-money has ended in the State.
Speaking through a virtual address, Mr. Modi said assistance under the scheme reaches women's bank accounts directly, without any intermediary. Cut-money refers to the commission that local politicians were alleged to charge citizens for helping them access government benefits. The BJP had made ending this corruption a campaign promise during the Assembly elections in the State, which the party won.
Mr. Modi, who was addressing the event on his 76th birthday, said the State government believes in "speaking less and working more". He added that no eligible woman would be left out of the Annapurna Yojana.
"Within a few days of forming our government in Bengal, work began on the Annapurna Yojana. Today, many women receive financial assistance directly into their bank accounts," he said, adding that the government aims to ensure that not a single eligible woman is deprived of its benefits.
The Prime Minister described the scheme as an important effort to strengthen the confidence of Bengal's women, saying they should have both the power to make decisions and the courage to move forward.
Annapurna Yojana was a BJP promise during the West Bengal Assembly poll campaign, positioned against the previous Trinamool Congress government's Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, under which over 2.2 crore women received ₹1,500 a month. Unlike Lakshmir Bhandar, which was universal, the Annapurna scheme applies eligibility criteria. After the BJP came to power in May 2026, the government began verifying beneficiaries — a move the opposition criticised as a departure from the party's promises. Some women have protested, claiming they were denied benefits despite being eligible.
Mr. Modi said the people of Bengal had long been deprived of the benefits of several central schemes, and that his government was taking forward all stalled programmes after coming to power. More than 50 lakh families will be identified and provided pucca houses, he said.
"We will all build a new Bengal together," he added.