In Malda, women gathered at Harishchandrapur-I Block office and said that, despite submitting forms and proving their eligibility, the promised Rs 3,000 had not been credited. At English Bazar municipality, women complained of long queues and repeated visits. Some questioned why having three rooms was allegedly being treated as grounds for exclusion. “Are all the members of a family of eight or ten expected to live in one room?” they asked.
Similar complaints have emerged from Asansol, Purulia, Madhyamgram, Ashoknagar-Kalyangarh, Bongaon, Hooghly, Balurghat, Nadia, Howrah, South 24 Parganas and several parts of north Bengal. Road and railway blockades have been reported from places including Raghunathpur, Madhyamgram, Dhupguri, Maynaguri, Jalpaiguri, Dantan, Jhargram and Kalna.
The scale of the protests suggests that this is no longer merely a question of delayed payments. For many women, it is a question of trust. They say they have filled in forms, submitted documents and undergone verification, only to be left without either the promised money or a clear explanation.
The government has opened an online portal for applicants to check their status and has urged those who have not received the funds to lodge complaints. But, as the confrontation with Paul showed on Friday, beneficiaries are demanding more than instructions to submit another complaint. They want their promised money paid without being made to “run from one office to another”.
About the Author
