Annapurna Yojana Application Form 2026 Available: ₹3,000 Payment Expected from June 1

Annapurna Yojana Application Form 2026: Annapurna Yojana application forms became available from May 27, 2026, and the first ₹3,000 monthly payment under the Annapurna Yojana is expected to be credited directly to eligible women’s Aadhaar-linked bank accounts from June 1, 2026. For millions of women across West Bengal whether they are existing Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme beneficiaries awaiting automatic migration or new applicants filling out their first form. This guide covers every detail you need to know: eligibility, documents, how to apply online and offline, what happens to existing beneficiaries and exclusions.

What Is the Annapurna Yojana 2026?

The Annapurna Yojana West Bengal 2026 also widely known as the Annapurna Bhandar Scheme or Annapurna Bhandar Prakalpa is a state government women’s financial assistance programme introduced by the newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The scheme was a flagship electoral promise made during the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections, where it was called the “Matri Shakti Bharosa” scheme, and a symbolic Matri Shakti Bharosa Card was distributed as a guarantee during the campaign period.

Following the BJP’s decisive victory securing 207 out of 294 seats in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly the scheme’s implementation was among the first orders of business for the incoming government. At the first Cabinet meeting of the new West Bengal government held on May 11, 2026, at Nabanna Secretariat in Kolkata, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s cabinet officially confirmed the launch of the Annapurna Yojana with a fixed commencement date of June 1, 2026.

The scheme is administered by the Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal, and formalised through Official Notification No. 2411-WCD/O/AB-4/2026, issued on May 19, 2026.

Annapurna Yojana 2026 Overview

Annapurna Yojana vs Lakshmir Bhandar

The Annapurna Yojana replaces the Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme, which was launched in 2021 by then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Lakshmir Bhandar portal was officially renamed the Annapurna Yojana Portal on May 18, 2026, marking the formal transition. Here is a direct comparison of the two schemes:

The most transformative change is the doubling and in many cases tripling of the monthly benefit for existing beneficiaries. A woman who received ₹1,000 per month under Lakshmir Bhandar will now receive ₹3,000 under Annapurna Yojana a 200% increase. With an annual benefit of ₹36,000, the scheme has been designed to make a genuinely meaningful difference to household finances for economically vulnerable women across the state.

Annapurna Yojana Eligibility 2026: Who Can Apply?

The Annapurna Yojana eligibility criteria are clearly defined in the official government notification. To qualify for the ₹3,000 monthly payment, an applicant must meet all of the following conditions:

Who is eligible

• Must be a woman — the scheme is exclusively for women
• Must be a permanent resident of West Bengal — domicile proof through a Voter ID card or Aadhaar card registered in West Bengal is required
• Aged between 25 and 60 years — women below 25 or above 60 are not covered under the current guidelines
• Must have an Aadhaar-linked bank account — in the beneficiary’s own name, for receiving DBT payments

Who is NOT eligible

• Permanent government employees — women drawing a regular government salary are excluded
• Government pensioners — women receiving any form of government pension do not qualify
• Income taxpayers — women who file income tax returns or fall under a taxable income bracket are excluded from the scheme
• Women identified as deceased, shifted, deleted, or absentee electors during the Systematic Intensive Revision (SIR-2026) of electoral rolls will not be migrated from the Lakshmir Bhandar database

The scheme is explicitly designed for women outside the formal government employment and income tax-paying bracket — the economically vulnerable population that needs direct financial support most.

Annapurna Yojana Application Form 2026

Annapurna Yojana application forms were officially released from Nabanna (the West Bengal State Secretariat) on May 27, 2026. The government has given a 90-day window from May 27, 2026 to complete the enrolment process for all new applicants. Here is how to obtain the form:

Online — Download the Application Form

1. Visit the official Annapurna Yojana portal at socialsecurity.wb.gov.in
2. Click on the “Download Annapurna Yojana Form” button
3. The form is available for download in three languages: English, Bengali, and Hindi
4. Fill out all required details on the printed form and submit it to the designated office

Note: While the form download is available from May 27, 2026, the full online application submission portal is expected to go live on June 1, 2026. Until then, completed forms must be submitted offline.

Offline — Submit at Designated Government Offices

New applicants who cannot access the online portal can submit their completed application forms at any of the following locations:

• Block Development Officer (BDO) offices across rural West Bengal
• Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) offices
• Municipal offices for urban beneficiaries
• Duare Sarkar camps — special government-at-your-doorstep camps organised at block and ward levels
• Authorised government registration centres

The government has also announced a door-to-door assistance drive: teams under Block Development Officers will visit homes to help applicants fill out forms, and MLAs will assist beneficiaries in their constituencies during a programme called “Janakalyan Camps” to maximise enrolment during the 90-day window.

Do Existing Lakshmir Bhandar Beneficiaries Need to Apply Again

This is the most urgent question for millions of women in West Bengal who are currently receiving Lakshmir Bhandar payments. The answer is clear: No. Existing eligible Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries do not need to submit a fresh application to receive benefits under Annapurna Yojana.

The Government of West Bengal has confirmed that all existing Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries will be automatically migrated to the Annapurna Yojana from June 1, 2026. Their ₹3,000 payment will begin automatically from June 1 — directly to the same Aadhaar-linked bank account on record.

However, there are important exceptions. Existing beneficiaries who have been identified as deceased, shifted, deleted, or flagged as absentee electors during the SIR-2026 electoral roll verification exercise will be removed from the beneficiary list and will not receive the Annapurna Yojana payment. Additionally, beneficiaries who have been found ineligible — for example, because they are now government employees or income taxpayers — will also be removed during the verification and migration process.

What if you have changed your bank account? Beneficiaries who have recently changed their bank account or whose Aadhaar is not properly seeded to their current account should update their Aadhaar-linked bank account details through the NPCI Aadhaar Seeding system as soon as possible to ensure the June 1 payment is not delayed or rejected.

Documents Required for Annapurna Yojana Application

New applicants must submit the following documents along with their completed application form:

All documents must be self-attested. Government officials at BDO offices and Duare Sarkar camps are authorised to assist applicants in completing and verifying their forms at no cost. Applicants are strongly warned against paying any fee or commission to agents or unofficial individuals claiming to process Annapurna Yojana applications — the scheme is entirely free to apply for.

Annapurna Yojana June 1 Payment

The first ₹3,000 Annapurna Yojana payment is officially scheduled to be credited on June 1, 2026, to all eligible and successfully migrated beneficiaries. The payment will be transferred via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) directly into the beneficiary’s Aadhaar-linked bank account — bypassing intermediaries entirely, consistent with the government’s stated goal of eliminating the “cut-money” culture that critics allege plagued parts of the previous administration’s welfare delivery.

Alongside the Annapurna Yojana payment, the West Bengal government has confirmed that free travel for women on all state-run government buses also takes effect from June 1, 2026 — a second significant welfare measure that compounds the financial benefit for working and travelling women across the state.

For new applicants who submit forms after May 27, 2026, the first payment may be delayed beyond June 1 depending on verification and processing timelines. The government has indicated that the 90-day enrolment window is designed to ensure a phased, orderly integration of new beneficiaries into the system.

How to Check Annapurna Yojana Application Status

The Annapurna Yojana status check facility is available through the official portal at socialsecurity.wb.gov.in. The portal’s “Track Application Status” feature allows applicants to enter their credentials and view the current status of their application.

Important note: As of late May 2026, the online portal is in its preliminary phase. Full functionality — including live application submission and real-time status tracking — is expected to be fully operational from June 1, 2026. Applicants who have submitted offline forms should allow processing time before checking their status online.

Annapurna Yojana Important Dates

The Annapurna Yojana 2026 is the most generous women’s financial assistance scheme West Bengal has ever implemented ₹3,000 per month, ₹36,000 per year, delivered directly to your bank account without intermediaries. If you are an existing Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiary, your payment starts June 1 automatically just ensure your Aadhaar-bank linking is current. If you are a new applicant, the 90-day window that began May 27 is your opportunity to enrol. Visit socialsecurity.wb.gov.in, download the form in your preferred language, gather your documents, and submit at your nearest BDO office, municipal office, or Duare Sarkar camp. Do not pay anyone to process your form the Annapurna Yojana application is completely free.