WB Budget 2024: Govt Raises Allowance Under 'Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme', BJP Reacts

The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Thursday raised the financial assistance given under the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar scheme’ while presenting an annual budget just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

Under the revised policy, the government will now give Rs 1,000 to General category households and Rs 1,200 to SC/ST households.

During the 2021 West Bengal Elections, the chief minister declared that she increase the amount of aid given under the “Lakshmir Bhandar” scheme, through which women will get 500 rupees per month.

Political experts believe this move to be another masterstroke by the Mamata government before the Loksabha elections.

Highlights of West Bengal Budget 2024

• The government announced an additional 4 per cent Dearness Allowance (DA) for State government employees from May, in addition to the 4 per cent that was declared in January.
• The state government also allocated Rs 3,700 crore in the budget to clear the wages of 21 lakh MGNREGA workers, whom the BJP-led Centre has deprived for the past two years.
• The State Government declared a bridge on the MuriGanga river which connects Kakdwip to Ganga Sagar to be built in 3 3-year span with an expenditure of Rs 1200 crore.
• The salary of contractual Government salary has also been raised. Group C and Group D salaries have increased by Rs 3500 and  Rs 3000.

Bengal Budget 2024: Political Reactions

The West Bengal Assembly on Thursday witnessed high-voltage drama ahead of the budget presentation when the BJP MLAs started to sing “Jana Gana Mana Adhinayok as the state song was played in the assembly.

The BJP leaders also chanted slogans like “Bharat Matha Ki Jay” and “Jai Shree Ram.”

On the disruption, Mamata Banerjee said, “Once the budget presentation is done, the opposition can express their opinion and participate in the discussion. But this is not the BJP Party Office where they can engage in politics. The people have the right to know what work we are doing for them. We condemn this dirty politics by the BJP. They are anti-Bengali and anti-state! They do not want Bengal’s welfare.”

On the other, the leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari called this year’s budget an elections campaign. “This budget is nothing but an election campaign, he said.

The saffron camp staged a walk out from the state assembly after the budget speech amid chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram.’