Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday said he has asked the state police chief to form a special investigation team to probe into
alleged fake beneficiaries of Lakshmir Bhandar, a women's cash transfer scheme of the previous TMC government. A money laundering probe will also be conducted into the matter as it involves illegal cash transfers, he said at a press conference at the state secretariat. The chief minister also said it has been found that men had availed assistance under the scheme specifically meant for women during the TMC's rule. Also Read - Bengal's Biggest Power Show Yet: 35 Ministers Join Suvendu Adhikari's Cabinet "Around 30 lakh Lakshmir Bhandar accounts are fake. I have asked the director general of police (DGP) to form an SIT to investigate the matter," the chief minister said. He said that since each of the beneficiaries received Rs 1,500 per month and a large number of fake accounts are involved, it means several thousand crores of taxpayers' money have been misappropriated. The chief minister said that those raising questions over the 12-page verification form for the BJP government's Annapurna Bhandar scheme, where the financial assistance to a woman beneficiary would be increased to Rs 3,000 per month, should take into account the instances of illegalities noticed in the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. Some men have been arrested for obtaining benefits of the welfare scheme by way of false claims, Adhikari said. "We will crack down on these illegalities at the grassroots level." He said that those who were trying to spread rumours alleging the complexity of the Annapurna Yojana verification form are now themselves coming forward to fill it out. Asserting that effectively, three of the 12 pages are required to be filled by all the applicants for the Annapurna scheme, he sought the cooperation of all in the verification process, as the government will be giving out Rs 36,000 per annum to each beneficiary. Adhikari said that online filling up and submission of forms started on Monday, while the offline format commenced earlier. "We hope to transfer funds to beneficiaries under the scheme in large numbers on Wednesday," the chief minister said, adding that an event will be held on the occasion at Nabanna, the state administrative headquarters. Referring to one Rakibul Hossain from Murshidabad district who allegedly resorted to forgery to get benefits under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, Adhikari said that 22 accounts were detected where males were taking benefit of the welfare scheme for women. "This number will increase. Hence, we have asked police to broaden the investigation," he said. "In addition to illegal immigrants, thousands of TMC leaders have looted the Lakshmir Bhandar," the chief minister said. He also said that in the Jangipur block of Murshidabad district, around 3,000 false claimants have been identified. Pointing to other monetary assistance programmes during the previous dispensation, Adhikari said two persons got the allowance meant for clerics, despite not being attached to any mosque. "A man was arrested in Paschim Medinipur district today for taking widow allowance," he said. Maintaining that all deserving applicants will get the benefit of the Annapurna scheme, he said that the list of beneficiaries will be released every seven days starting next Wednesday. "More than two lakh applications are being verified every day," he said. Adhikari urged the people of the state, BJP workers and supporters not to take law into their hands over government relief and other materials being allegedly recovered from the offices of TMC councillors and other officials. "Let the police and other officials do their work," he said, while maintaining that the protests resulted from public wrath. Stating that a change has come in the work and attitude of the police and other officials, he said, "This is what the people wanted." (Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Times Now staff and has been taken from a syndicated feed.)
