TNI Bureau: The West Bengal cabinet today approved the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission for state government employees, addressing a long-pending demand of employees.

Announcing the decision after the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, state minister Agnimitra Paul said the proposal was cleared during the meeting.

The cabinet also approved the implementation of the Annapurna Bhandar scheme, under which eligible women in the state will receive a monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000. The scheme was promised in the BJP’s Sankalp Patra during the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Paul said women already receiving benefits under the previous Lakshmir Bhandar scheme introduced by the former Mamata Banerjee government will automatically be linked to the new scheme, and the amount will be directly transferred to their bank accounts. New applicants will be able to apply through a portal that will be launched shortly.

The state cabinet also approved free bus travel for all women in state-run public buses from June 1. Paul said the existing government bus infrastructure will be used initially, while some new electric buses are expected to be added to the transport system in the future.

She further said that the cabinet has decided to discontinue all support schemes based on religious classifications under the Information & Cultural Affairs Department and the Minority Affairs & Madrasah Education Department from June 1. According to her, such benefits will continue only for the current month before being discontinued.