West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday launched the expanded version of the state's basic income support programme for female heads of families called 'Lakshmir Bhandar' (Lakshmi's treasury) which will cover 500,000 more families from now on, with the click of a button at a mega-business summit being held here.
Under the scheme, launched last year, the state government provides Rs 1,000 per month to women heads of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families, and Rs 500 per month to those belonging to general category. With the expansion, the programme will now cover 15.5 million families.
