The West Bengal government has announced a ₹500 increase in the Lakshmir Bhandar allowance in the state budget, along with a 4% hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees. The revised Lakshmir Bhandar benefit will come into effect from February this year.
The budget also proposes to bring an additional 20.62 lakh beneficiaries under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. An extra allocation of ₹15,000 crore has been earmarked for the project, significantly expanding its coverage. The allocation for the West Bengal Health Scheme has also been increased by 75 percent.
Welfare measures for frontline and education workers
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a series of welfare measures for frontline and education-sector workers. From April 2026, ASHA workers will receive an additional ₹1,000 in monthly honorarium. They will also be entitled to 180 days of maternity leave, bringing them at par with other women government employees.
In case of death while on duty, ASHA workers’ families will receive a one-time financial assistance of ₹5 lakh. A budget allocation of ₹100 crore has been proposed for these measures in the next financial year.
Another category of workers will also receive a ₹1,000 monthly salary increase from April 2026. For them, financial assistance to families in case of death while on duty has been enhanced from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh. An allocation of ₹1.5 billion has been proposed for this purpose in the upcoming financial year.
Honorarium hike for education-linked staff
The monthly honorarium of para-teachers, education friends, assistants, extension workers, chief extension workers, special educators and education management staff will also be increased by ₹1,000 from April 2026. Families of these employees will be entitled to a one-time financial assistance of ₹5 lakh in case of death while working.
These announcements form part of the state government’s expanded welfare push in the latest budget, focusing on social security, healthcare support and financial relief for beneficiaries and frontline workers.
