The Mamata Banerjee government will hold the sixth edition of its flagship Duare Sarkar programme from April 1 to 20 as part of its attempts to increase the coverage of various welfare schemes before panchayat polls which are likely to be held in May.

Bengal chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi on Thursday rolled out the details of the next edition of the Duare Sarkar drive during a video conference with all district magistrates. He made it clear that the main focus of the coming drive would be on the West Bengal Bhabishyat Credit Card Scheme (WBBCCS), a credit-based scheme by the state to support unemployed youths to set up micro and small enterprises.

Under the Bhabisyat credit card scheme, an individual aged between 18 and 45 years would be provided with assistance by the government to get a loan up to Rs 5 lakh to set up his/her own enterprise. The loan will have a 10 per cent government subsidy, which won’t exceed a ceiling of Rs 25,000.

Dwivedi said special camps would be set up to receive applications for welfare schemes from April 1 to 10 and district administration officials would deliver the services to the eligible beneficiaries in the following 10 days.

“Although there are 31 other welfare programmes that are provided at the Duare Sarkar camps, the government is keen to focus on its newly launched credit scheme, which aims to make youths self-reliant by giving them the seed money for some business ventures,” said a senior government official.

The new scheme, a brainchild of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, would help thousands of youths in Bengal set up their own enterprises which would generate job opportunities for others at a time the state government is facing a crisis because of the Centre’s decision to freeze the flow of funds under MGNREGA, PMAY and other schemes.

The best part of the scheme is that youths would not have to furnish the names of guarantors for the approval of the loan, said a source.

“The government wants to reach out to over two lakh youths under the Bhabishyat credit card scheme through the new leg of Duare Sarkar as it will be held just before panchayat polls. The government would have an opportunity to give benefits to two lakh more youths next year before the 2024 general election,” said a senior official.

Besides the credit scheme, this leg of Duare Sarkar will also seek to address problems that were mapped during the Didir Doot (didi’s emissary) drive conducted by the Trinamul Congress across the state.