The Mamata Banerjee dispensation will set up over 13,000 camps across Bengal under its two-month old programme called “Duware Sarkar (government at doorsteps)” where people can apply for the state administration’s flagship schemes.
The programme that will be launched on December 1 is part of an attempt by the government to debunk Opposition charges that beneficiaries need to pay “cut money” to enjoy the schemes.
“The target is to reach out to all the people who were left out of government schemes. The way the programme is being planned, it is expected that a majority of the eligible people would be brought under different government schemes,” said an official.
According to instructions sent out to different districts to make the programme successful, the state government has identified 11 flagship schemes — majority of which introduced since the Trinamul Congress came to power in 2011— as the focus areas.
The list includes various schemes to dispense pension to old people, widows and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, kanyasree and schemes to provide direct benefit to farmers and scholarships to students.
“The state government has already prepared a detailed plan on how the programme would be rolled out from December 1 till January 31,” said a senior official.
According to the plan, at least three camps would be set up in each gram panchayat and also in the municipality area. “There will be 13,000-odd camps in 3,354 gram panchayats and over 120 municipality areas. The programme would continue for 60 days,” said the source.
According to the plan, there would be registration desks and help desks at each of the camps where common people will be informed about various government schemes and can submit filled-up application forms seeking assistance under any scheme.
“The help desk would assist the visitors to fill in the application forms and get included in the list of beneficiaries. The camps would have officials from all departments concerned,” a district magistrate said.
The camps would remain open between 8am and 4pm.
The top brass of the government would keep track of turnouts at the camps which would have to submit daily reports on number of visitors and those who are eligible to apply for the schemes.
According to sources, the programme has been planned in a way that all the eligible beneficiaries can claim benefits without facing much trouble. “Implementing agency for a majority of the schemes are gram panchayats. But under the programme, the benefits would be extended through government officials,” said a source.
The primary reason behind the initiative, sources said, is to counter Opposition allegations that beneficiaries need to pay “cut money” to avail themselves of the schemes.
“As complaints against local leaders of the ruling party and panchayat functionaries were tarnishing the image of the government, the initiative was taken to ensure that all left out people received the benefit without any trouble,” said a source.
Trunamul insiders said the allegation of demand for the cut money by the local leaders was one of the major challenges facing the party ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls,
“We did poorly in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls because of these allegations. We could not do well in rural areas only because people had complaints against some of our local leaders.
The programme could change the perception about our government,” said a Trinamul MLA.
Another Trinamul leader said the Left Front had suffered a lot in the 2011 Assembly elections as people had complaints about erroneous BPL list and lists of beneficiaries of several other projects.
“We don’t want to face a similar situation. That is why the government is trying to rectify its fault, if any, by extending a chance to all eligible people to get enrolled,” said the Trinamul leader.
