West Bengal Cabinet​ approves three schemes promised in TMC poll manifesto

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Cabinet on Monday gave its approval for implementation of a monthly income support scheme for eligible families and two other programmes promised in the election manifesto of the Trinamool Congress, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

The Cabinet also gave the green signal to introduce a new credit card scheme for all eligible students to pursue higher education, as well as the programme of free doorstep delivery of monthly ration to 1.5 crore households.

A proposal to recruit 2,500 people in the Kolkata Police force has also got the go-ahead from the Cabinet, Banerjee said.

"It's not even one month since the government was formed. Today, we have got approval from the Cabinet for the scheme under which female heads of general category families will be provided with Rs 500 monthly while SC/ST families will get Rs 1,000.

"The Cabinet also approved the Student Credit Card and the Duare Ration (ration at doorstep) scheme also," she told reporters at the state secretariat.

Banerjee was sworn in as the chief minister on May 2 after her party came to power in the state for the third time in a row.

The basic income support scheme will benefit around 1.6 crore families.

According to the credit card scheme, it will have a credit limit of Rs 10 lakh with an interest rate of only 4 per cent and easy repayment options so that students do not have to depend on their parents to pursue higher studies.

The party manifesto had also promised that under the 'Khadya Sathi' scheme, 1.5 crore families will get free doorstep delivery of monthly ration.

Banerjee said that a task force under Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay was constituted to look into the procedure, implementing policy and monitoring of the three schemes.

The task force will also have the home secretary, the finance secretary and representatives of the education and women and child welfare departments, she said.

"It will require some time to launch these programmes. We have to plan them very meticulously," she said.