Doubled grant for the 'Kanya R

Political

Doubled grant for the 'Kanya Ratna' in Bengal: 2,000 to 50,000 in assistance for Education

The state government had previously announced a one-time financial grant of ?50,000 to ensure that no female student's education at the college or university level is interrupted due to a lack of funds. Now, building on that commitment, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has made a major announcement: starting from the 2027 academic year, female students under the ‘Kanya Ratna’ scheme will receive ?2,000 annually instead of ?1,000. Simultaneously, he announced the creation of a ?100 crore ‘Swami Vivekananda Fund’ to support higher education and studies abroad.

Speaking at a state government event organized to mark ‘Kanya Ratna Divas’ on the eve of Independence Day, the Chief Minister stated that the new government is working with a focus on prioritizing women's education, women's empowerment, and financial security. She remarked, "The government is taking responsibility to ensure that financial constraints do not become a barrier to education."

At the event, the Chief Minister also formally announced the launch of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) scheme in West Bengal. Alongside this, several other initiatives are being introduced, including the women's assistance helpline, 181. The Chief Minister stated that while West Bengal had not previously been part of this central scheme, it is now being implemented in the state.

Addressing female students from various parts of the state at the event, the Chief Minister announced plans to provide financial assistance to a total of 2,013,000 female students during the current academic year. Approximately ?400 crore has been allocated for 1,013,000 students in the first phase. She further stated that the transfer of funds directly to bank accounts commenced as soon as the schools verified the details and submitted the lists.

The Chief Minister has emphasized enhancing financial support not only at the school level but also in higher education. She stated that a one-time financial grant of ?50,000 has been introduced to ensure that the studies of female students in colleges and universities are not interrupted due to a lack of funds. Additionally, the ‘Vivekananda Merit Scholarship’ will continue as before for students who have secured more than 60 percent marks.

In addition to this, the ‘Swami Vivekananda Fund’ has been announced as a new initiative. This fund, with a corpus of ?100 crore, will provide financial assistance to students pursuing higher education abroad or those who have qualified for specialized education through national-level examinations. The Chief Minister stated that no meritorious student's future should be stalled due to a lack of funds rather than a lack of merit.

The most notable announcement concerns the increase in the grant under the 'Kanya Ratna' scheme. Currently, beneficiaries receive an annual grant of ?1,000. The Chief Minister announced that, starting from the 2027 academic year, this grant would be doubled to ?2,000. As she put it, "May our daughters forge ahead. The government's goal is to remove financial barriers to their education."

Citing Vidyasagar’s ideals regarding women's education and Swami Vivekananda’s mantra of ‘Charaiveti’ (keep moving forward), the Chief Minister stated that the government is taking successive measures to ensure young women play a leading role in education, nation-building, and patriotism. She asserted that although the government has been in office for only a hundred days, the administration is moving forward with long-term plans for education and women's empowerment.

The event was attended by Malati Rava Roy, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Department of Women and Child Development; Ministers Agnimitra Pal and Purnima Chakraborty; Ministers of State Sumana Sarkar and Kalita Majhi; Vinod Kumar, Principal Secretary of the Education Department; Moumita Godara Basu, Principal Secretary of the Department of Women and Child Development; Smita Pandey, Administrator and Commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation; and other senior administrative officials.At the conclusion of the event, the Chief Minister extended Independence Day greetings to the people of the state and invited everyone to participate in the official ceremony at Red Road.