West Bengal rolls out Rs 50,000 grant for unmarried women students and adds 14,000 jobs

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the state cabinet has approved the Bhagini Nivedita Scheme, offering a total grant of Rs 50,000 to unmarried women pursuing higher education for three years. Under the scheme, beneficiaries will receive Rs 17,000 in each of the first two years and Rs 16,000 in the third year. The program will start across the state in January 2027. The chief minister also disclosed that 14,454 government vacancies will be filled within the next six to eight months. The State Public Service Commission and the State Police Recruitment Board will conduct the examinations and selection process. Vacancies span departments such as forests, fire services, prisons, home and hill affairs. For police recruitment, appointment formalities for about 12,000 posts are scheduled for 11 October, and roughly 5,000 shortlisted candidates will receive appointment letters at a ceremony the same day. Adhikari reiterated the government's promise of delivering one lakh jobs and said the PSC is now operating at full strength to clear pending recruitments. In addition, the monthly salary for contractual sanitation workers, known as ‘Karmabandhus’, under the land revenue department has been raised from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000, effective this month. The food allowance for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students residing in government hostels has also been increased to Rs 3,300 per month from the previous Rs 1,800.

Context

The grant aims to improve female enrollment in higher education, while the recruitment drive seeks to meet the state's promise of creating 100,000 government jobs. Higher allowances for sanitation staff and hostel students address wage and living‑cost concerns.