₹3,000 Annapurna Yojana payout on September 17, PM Modi’s birthday: Are you eligible to receive money? Check new rules

On September 17, Thursday, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, ₹3,000 is expected to be credited to the bank accounts of eligible women under the Annapurna Yojana.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, as reported by the Bengali daily Pratidin, said that about 1.58 crore women are set to receive the benefit this month, nearly 10 lakh more beneficiaries than in August.

The number of beneficiaries under the Annapurna Yojana has risen steadily in recent months. In June, a total of 28 lakh women received the benefit. This increased sharply to 1.19 crore in July, then rose further in August.

With another increase of nearly 10 lakh beneficiaries in September, the total number of women receiving the ₹3,000 payout is now expected to reach 1.58 crore.

Fresh criteria for Annapurna Yojana: Who is eligible to receive the money?

Earlier in August, Adhikari announced fresh eligibility criteria for the Annapurna scheme.

Adhikari said women earning more than ₹10,000 a month or belonging to families with an annual income of above ₹12 lakh would not be eligible for the scheme.

Those already receiving certain government benefits, including disability allowance and PM-Kisan assistance, however, would remain eligible, provided the other criteria are met, he elaborated.

For rural women, having more than three rooms in a house or owning more than 50 decimals of land would not by itself disqualify them from receiving the benefit, he said.

“Last month, questions were raised about many eligible women not receiving the money. Now, women in rural areas having more than three rooms will also get the benefit. This will increase the number of rural women covered under the scheme,” Adhikari said.

The Bengal CM said that women receiving other government allowances of less than ₹3,000 would be entitled to the difference under the Annapurna scheme.

He said the final verification and scrutiny of applications was underway and payments would be transferred directly to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries from August 17.

“Eligible women between 25 and 60 years of age will receive the money. There is no reason to worry about this. The Finance department will transfer the money district-wise. Those whose verification has been completed will receive the money in their accounts in the second week of every month,” Adhikari said.

The Annapurna scheme was promised in the BJP’s election manifesto for women aged 25 to 60 and was subsequently implemented after the party came to power in the state.

Adhikari said payments would be made on a priority basis to all women who meet the eligibility criteria.