Women protesting delays and difficulties in accessing Annapurna welfare benefits gathered at newly opened Seva Setu camps in West Bengal on October 2. Reports from New Alipore and Rajarhat described demands for clearer answers on applications and payments; The New Indian Express also reported demonstrations in several districts.
The three-day outreach programme is intended to help residents access government schemes and understand problems with pending or rejected applications. Its opening exposed a gap between what some applicants expected and the services available at particular counters. At New Alipore, officials' initial statement that fresh Annapurna applications were not being accepted intensified the protest, police told The Times of India.
Rajarhat block development officer Sudipta Biswas said a written complaint had been submitted after disruption at a camp and that services resumed when the situation settled. Police reported two arrests there. Allegations about damage remain distinct from the payment complaints raised by participants.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said women who applied according to the rules would receive the allowance. The reviewed reports provide no independently verified statewide total of eligible applicants still awaiting payment, nor a confirmed date for resolving every pending case.