Muslim and Indigenous Women Deprived of Welfare Funds Under Suvendu Government

Women in Punishol village, under the Onda block of West Bengal’s Bankura district, are alleging systematic administrative negligence after being deprived of benefits under the state’s social welfare scheme, the ‘Annapurna Yojana.’ Having recently fought to overcome the fear of having their names removed from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, Muslim and indigenous women now face fresh economic deprivation. Although government officials previously restored the voting rights of around 8,000 legal voters following media intervention, residents report that their legitimate welfare applications are now being completely ignored by block authorities.

Punishol is one of the largest Muslim-majority villages in the state, comprising 20 neighborhoods and approximately 9,000 women between the ages of 25 and 60. According to Golam Khaja, a local health worker, while around 8,000 women applied for the Annapurna Yojana through online and offline channels, only about 500 have received any financial assistance to date. The situation has placed local field workers in a difficult position, as eligible applicants continuously demand updates regarding their stalled benefits without receiving clear administrative answers.

Jasima Khatun, an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker, described the growing anxiety among local women: ‘We visit these women’s homes daily to check on health and other matters. Many ask us when the Annapurna Yojana money will arrive, but we have no answers to give them.’ Multiple visits by local women to the Punishol panchayat and Onda block offices yielded no official clarity, with several applicants alleging that government officials turned them away without even listening to their grievances or reviewing their documents.

Deprived residents from the Hansdabad neighborhood expressed deep frustration over the procedural double standards and religious bias they encountered at the administrative level. Roshan Bibi Mondal, Zarina Bibi Mallick, Solema Khatun, and Latifun Bibi stated: ‘Whenever the government told us to submit forms, we did. Later, we were told to apply online, and we did that too. Yet, to this day, we haven’t received a single rupee.’ Echoing their sentiments, Fatema Bibi Khan and Akhrun Khatun questioned: ‘What kind of justice is this?’ after officials allegedly informed them that Hindu applicants would receive funds before Muslims.

The financial disruption has severely impacted impoverished households that previously relied on state welfare to manage daily living expenses. Women noted that they used to receive 1,500 rupees under the previous ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ scheme, but payments abruptly stopped after the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government raised the allowance amount to 3,000 rupees. Latifun Bibi Mondal explained: ‘Our household men set out early every morning on bicycles for work in Bankura, Taldangra, Onda, and other areas. The Lakshmir Bhandar money we used to get helped scrape by somehow. Now that money has stopped too.’

Addressing the widespread exclusion, Onda BJP MLA Amarnath Shakha attributed the delays strictly to technical issues, claiming that applicants might have multiple bank accounts or failed to link their Aadhaar cards to their bank accounts. However, affected women firmly rejected the MLA’s claim, with Nasuda Bibi Khan and Zarina Bibi Mallick noting: ‘We went to the Bankura head post office late at night to link our mobile numbers with our Aadhaar cards. Which of us has two or three accounts?’ Demonstrators like Jyotsna Begum and Habiba Bibi Mondal warned that they are preparing to stage sit-in protests at the block office.

The pattern of exclusion extends beyond Muslim-majority areas to indigenous Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities across Bankura district’s Jangalmahal region, including Santhal, Sabar, Mahali, Bhumij, Munda, and Kora populations. In areas such as Ranibandh, Rautora, and Barikul, indigenous women reported that repeated demonstrations at panchayat offices produced no results. Bhanumati Sardar from Biroti village alleged political intimidation while attempting to demand answers, stating: ‘They threatened us that speaking out about the Annapurna Yojana would have bad consequences. But we did not bow to their threats. We went to submit the deputation fully prepared to counter any attacks.’

Across West Bengal, over 30 lakh women’s applications for the Annapurna Yojana remain stalled under ongoing verification procedures. According to a senior official from the Department of Women and Child Development, out of roughly 1.90 crore submitted applications, 1.56 crore women have received their 3,000-rupee grant. However, with the application portal currently closed, excluded women have no way to submit new forms. Public outrage during the recent Seba Setu Abhiyan camps eventually forced the state administration to set up special grievance cells specifically to record complaints regarding the scheme.

Political attempts by ruling BJP representatives to address the rising discontent have instead triggered further controversy and accusations of polarization. When aggrieved Muslim women from Bankura town went to meet Bankura MLA Niladri Sekhar Dana, he reportedly subjected them to humiliation. Meanwhile, a senior government official disclosed that unwritten verbal guidelines, such as excluding families earning over 10,000 rupees per month, have created massive procedural confusion. Despite administrative meetings led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari addressing the issue, field staff remain unable to clear thousands of verified applications.

The ongoing deadlock has left thousands of eligible women feeling marginalized, fearful, and uncertain about their economic rights. Housewives Jyotsna Khatun and Habiba Bibi Mondal expressed the collective dread felt by local applicants, stating: ‘We are now afraid to go to the block office. What if they insult and drive us away again?’ As women from Punishol and the broader Jangalmahal region prepare for larger civil protests, they maintain that having fulfilled every official requirement, the government owes them an immediate explanation and the full release of their withheld allowances.