EAR TO THE GROUND In Singur, Lakshmir Bhandar in the spotlight

Water seeps into Sunita Malik's house in Singur every time it rains.

- ISHITA AYAN DUTT

Her husband, a carpenter, travels 40 km to Kolkata every day to make a living - there is not much work around the rural hamlet that was once the epicentre of the anti-land acquisition movement. But ask her who she is going to vote for in the Lok Sabha election and pat comes the answer: The party that rolled out Lakshmir Bhandar.

"We will vote for whoever looks after us. Whatever we are getting is from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, so we will obviously vote for the party," Sunita says.

In Singur's narrow alley, her point is echoed by a group of women standing next to her. Deepa Hazra says, "With the money from Lakshmir Bhandar, I can pay my son's school fees, and fetch the doctor if he is ill."

Deepa's husband is an agricultural labourer. "If he doesn't work for a day then it becomes difficult for us to run the household." Another beneficiary says she can buy school books for her son.

Ria Malik, 23, is not eligible for the scheme as yet. But she knows what she is going to do with the money once she gets it. To be eligible, the beneficiary has to be a woman between 25 years and 60 years.

The Lakshmir Bhandar scheme was launched by the Mamata Banerjee government in 2021, after the Assembly elections. The payout under it was doubled in the state Budget earlier this year. And the cheer is spreading across women voters in West Bengal.

Around 30 km from Singur, in Jangipara, Chhaya Ray, a beneficiary of Lakshmir Bhandar, has attended every single TMC meeting.