The Lakshmir Bhandar is a financial assistance scheme launched by the Government of West Bengal, introduced in February 2021 and rolled out in August 2021. The scheme's origin lies in a poll promise by the Trinamool Congress, designed to provide an assured monthly income to female members of families to improve their financial condition and promote women's empowerment. It was created to address the scarcity of cash in women's hands and the issue of patriarchy in economically weaker sections.
The scheme is implemented by the Department of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare. Its mechanism involves a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of monthly assistance to an AADHAR-linked bank account held solely by the eligible adult female member. To be eligible, a woman must be a permanent resident of West Bengal, aged between 25 and 60 years, and her household must be enrolled under the Swasthya Sathi scheme. Government employees or pensioners are explicitly excluded. Applications are submitted at Duare Sarkar Camps.
The scheme connects directly to the state's universal health coverage program, Swasthya Sathi. A key provision is the transfer of benefits to the Old Age Pension Scheme of the West Bengal Government once the woman attains the age of 60 years.
The scheme has undergone recent changes: initially, the monthly payout was ₹1,000 for women from SC/ST households and ₹500 for others. In February 2026, the allowance was increased to ₹1,700 per month for SC/ST women and ₹1,500 per month for General/OBC women. However, the scheme is set to be replaced by the Annapurna Yojana from June 1, 2026, which proposes a significantly higher monthly payout of ₹3,000.