Suvendu government ends religion-based schemes in Bengal
What's the story
The West Bengal Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has decided to discontinue religion-based assistance schemes. The decision was announced after the second cabinet meeting on Monday. Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul said ongoing projects under the Madrasa Department and Information & Cultural Department will continue till the end of this month before being phased out. The move is a major policy shift, as previous governments had provided financial assistance to imams and temple priests.
Scheme discontinuation
Schemes to continue till end of May
Notifications regarding their discontinuation will be issued separately, Paul added. The previous Trinamool Congress government had introduced these schemes to support religious leaders from economically weaker sections. But the new government maintains that welfare programs should not be based on religious identity. A year after taking office in the state, the previous Trinamool government had announced a monthly honorarium for imams, muezzins, and temple priests.
Scheme history
Trinamool Congress launched schemes in 2012
The first scheme was launched in 2012, providing a monthly honorarium of ₹2,500 to registered imams across West Bengal. A similar scheme for muezzins was also introduced later. In 2020, the then state government also introduced an allowance for Hindu priests or purohits. This move was seen as an attempt to counter criticism that only Muslim religious leaders were receiving state support. Registered priests initially received a monthly honorarium of around ₹1,000 which was later revised to ₹2,000.
Corruption probe
Commission to probe irregularities in fund distribution
The Adhikari government has also formed a commission to probe alleged irregularities in fund distribution during the Mamata Banerjee government. The commission will be formed under the supervision of retired justice Biswajit Das and will look into cases of atrocities against women across the state. "We have formed a committee under the leadership of Retired Justice Samapti Chatterjee," Adhikari said after the cabinet meeting.