Kolkata: Stepping into her new role as the minister of women and child development and social welfare, Malati Rava Roy announced that her topmost priorities include the seamless and corruption-free rollout of Annapurna Yojana, ensuring safety and empowerment for women, and protecting women's rights. She revealed that approximately 61.3 lakh women have applied online for the Annapurna Yojana to date.
Overwhelming Response for Annapurna Yojana
Rava Roy stated, "There is an overwhelming response for the Annapurna Yojana. Till date, the online portal has received 61.3 lakh applications for Annapurna Yojana. The number will rise. We will ensure that genuine beneficiaries receive the facility at the earliest without looking at political colours." She added, "The details that have been asked in the form will help us to identify genuine beneficiaries, and at the same time we will get data about the number of families and members in the families across the state."
District-wise Application Statistics
The highest number of applications have been received from North 24 Parganas (7.7 lakh), followed by Murshidabad (7.4 lakh), South 24 Parganas (4.5 lakh), and East Midnapore (4.4 lakh). Kolkata has received more than 93,000 applications, while Kalimpong recorded the lowest with over 2,000 applications.
Direct Benefit Transfer Underway
Already, over 28 lakh women across the state have received Rs 3,000 each under the Annapurna Yojana as the direct benefit transfer (DBT) process commenced on June 3. Rava Roy held back-to-back meetings with department officials after taking charge on Thursday, where the issue of "shortage of manpower in the department" was highlighted.
Focus on Women Safety and Empowerment
The new minister emphasized that ensuring women safety and making women empowered and self-reliant were key poll promises of her party, which she intends to fulfill. "We have witnessed the RG Kar case and the victim's mother is still fighting for justice. The primary goal of this government is to protect the honour of women and ensure safety. Any gender-based violence will be dealt with an iron hand. The Centre and the state will work systematically in coordination for women's rights. We will work to empower our daughters, sisters, and mothers and make them self-reliant. I believe if women are self-reliant, society will become healthy and progressive," Rava Roy said.
She added, "Among the other areas, I will focus on child marriage, child labour, rise in addiction among kids, and transgender issues."
Malati Rava Roy is an MLA from Tufanganj, Cooch Behar, and national vice-president of BJP Mahila Morcha.
