Mamata Banerjee's Big Announcement: Migrant Bengalis to Get Rs 5,000/Month on Return

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): The preparations for the 2026 assembly elections in West Bengal have already begun. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made a big announcement and announced the launch of 'Shramoshri Yojana' for Bengali-speaking migrant workers who are allegedly facing harassment in states with 'double engine' governments. Under this scheme, workers returning to Bengal will be given financial assistance of Rs 5000 every month for a year.

The Chief Minister made this announcement amid the ongoing political debate over SIR (State Inhabitants Register) in the state. He alleged that around 22 lakh Bengali-speaking people are being harassed in BJP-ruled states.

What is Shramoshri scheme?

In a press conference on Monday, Mamata Banerjee said, "We have urged all those people to return to their state Bengal. Those who are returning or will return after persecution will be given help under the 'Shramoshri Yojana'." Giving details of the scheme, she said, every migrant worker returning to Bengal will be given a free travel allowance of Rs 5000 every month for one year. This amount will be provided through ITI and Labor Department. These workers will be given job cards immediately and the government will also help them get separate jobs.

This scheme will be only for those Bengali migrant labourers who were working in other states and are now returning. The Chief Minister informed that so far more than 10,000 labourers from 2870 families have already returned to the state after the alleged harassment.

Political analysts are seeing this move of Mamata Banerjee as an important political move ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. Along with this, she also strongly opposed the SIR conducted by the Election Commission in Bihar and said that West Bengal is not ready for it yet.

Meanwhile, there is also speculation that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's program in Bengal on August 22 in protest against the harassment of migrant Bengali laborers. However, when she was questioned about this today, she avoided it and did not give any clear answer.