Kolkata, Feb 16 (IANS) The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari alleged on Monday that the new unemployment allowance scheme ‘Banglar Yuva Sathi’ announced by the West Bengal Minister of State for Finance (Independent charge), Chandrima Bhattacharya while presenting the interim budget for 2026-27 on February 5, was nothing but an eyewash aimed at misleading unemployed youth in the state.

Under this scheme, a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 will be given to secondary examination-passed youths in the age bracket of 21 to 40.

While presenting the interim budget on February 5, Bhattacharya said that the scheme will come into effect from August 15 this year if the Trinamool Congress returns to power.

However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee preponed the date of implementation of the scheme and announced that the payments under the scheme will be made with effect from April 1 instead of the August 15 date announced earlier.

Accordingly, the state government has started receiving applications for the scheme through special camps opened at all the 294 Assembly constituencies in the state from February 15.

On Monday morning, the LoP, in a post on his social media handle, described the scheme as eyewash before the forthcoming Assembly elections, and also expressed doubts over the actual number of genuine beneficiaries who would receive payments under the scheme.

According to him, the new scheme is nothing but a replication of the old scheme of ‘Yuvashree’ just by changing the name.

“It is the same old tactic of reintroducing the same scheme with a new name. In a bankrupt state that is economically starving because of the flight of capital and lack of investments, the true appreciation of talent is non-existent. Now it is yet another ploy of the state government to make unemployed youths stand in queues for submitting the applications at the designated camps,” Adhikari said.

He also questioned the necessity for organising camps for the submission of application forms when the same thing could be arranged online easily. He also questioned the police action at some of the designated camps on Sunday, which was the first day for submission of the application forms under the scheme.

“There was no need to deploy police at the camps. The West Bengal Police has developed the habit of beating job seekers and unemployed youths,” he claimed.

“Why did the police beat up unemployment allowance applicants again?” Adhikari questioned.

–IANS

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