Women leaders of the Trinamul Congress in Malda district on Monday converged at four places and organised programmes to celebrate the increase in the monthly financial assistance provided under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.

The district has two Lok Sabha seats where elections will be held on May 7.

“From April, the monthly assistance has increased to Rs 1,000 from Rs 500 for women in the general category and to Rs 1,200 from Rs 1,000 for SC/ST women. That is
why we thought of organising the celebrations,” said Sabina Yeasmin, a minister of
state and a Trinamul MLA, who arranged such an event in Mothabari, her Assembly constituency.

The women smeared each other with coloured powders and exchanged sweets.

In Mothabari, around 1,000 women joined the celebrations and hailed chief minister Mamata Banerjee for the increased dole.

“The decision to double the assistance (from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000) will definitely help us in the elections. We came here to thank the chief minister,” said Sumita Mandal, a beneficiary of the scheme.

Her husband, she said, is a day wage earner and makes around Rs 300 a day.

Like Mothabari, celebrations were also held at Gazole, Englishbazar and Ratua in
the district.