Assam's Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah proposed dismissing government employees practicing polygamy and barring them from welfare schemes in the state budget. A bill to ban polygamous marriages with up to seven years imprisonment was also passed last year.
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari launched the 'Jan Kalyan Shivir' program, offering access to 54 central and state welfare schemes. The initiative, running from June 15-17, aims to ensure benefits reach genuine recipients and announced significant central government allocations for rural development.
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe nearly 30 lakh suspected fake beneficiary accounts in the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. The probe will also investigate money laundering allegations due to illegal cash transfers.
Tamil Nadu's Cooperation Minister V Gandhiraj stated the government is considering reviving discontinued welfare programs, such as the 2021 jewel loan waiver, after addressing technical issues. The aim is to ensure effective public welfare with zero corruption and transparency.
West Bengal's 2026 assembly election has become a critical test for Mamata Banerjee's 'Didi' brand as she seeks a fourth consecutive term after 15 years in power. The TMC supremo faces accumulated voter fatigue, corruption charges, and the RG Kar Medical College tragedy that has damaged her 'Maa, Mati, Manush' narrative. Despite these challenges, she retains advantages including the absence of a credible local BJP counterface, deep grassroots networks through 1 crore women in self-help groups, and her adaptive populism through welfare schemes like Lakshmir Banchar serving 2.21 crore women.
