Find government schemes and updates

West Bengal officially adopted Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme on August 16, 2026. This date is now known as Ayushman Day. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari launched this scheme at Kolkata's Netaji Indoor Stadium. It replaces the older Swasthya Saathi program.

This scheme provides cashless coverage of up to ₹5 lakh every year. It covers 3.39 crore people. Benefits include care starting three days before you go to the hospital and lasting 15 days after you are discharged. All citizens aged 70 and above qualify automatically. Your income level does not matter for this age group. The state government also started Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana for those not covered under this central scheme. This helps make sure everyone gets support.

Hospital access and details

Eligible people can get treatment at about 14,000 hospitals across India. This includes 1,930 hospitals in West Bengal. You can find more details about eligibility and coverage on the official Ayushman Bharat portal.

Government has launched Central Bank Digital Currency for DBT payments under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in Chandigarh. Chandigarh is the first Union Territory to use digital currency for food subsidy payments.

Digital currency for food subsidies

Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Prahlad Joshi, along with Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, started this process on August 14, 2026. The goal is to remove middlemen from the payment system. Government spends over ₹2.10 lakh crore on free ration distribution every year. Digital Rupee transfers are clear and work for anyone with a mobile phone. This rollout also started virtually for Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Alwar, Rajasthan, on August 16 to help the rural economy through new building and support projects. He sent Rs 667 crore to more than 66.74 lakh farmers as the sixth payment for Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. Also, Rs 152 crore was sent through DBT payment under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

New projects for farmers

At an event at Vijayanagar Ground, Shah started work on a Rs 200 crore Saras Dairy plant in Alwar. This plant will process 5 lakh litres of milk every day. He also announced plans for four more dairy plants in Bhilwara, Jaipur, Pali, and Rajsamand. These will cost Rs 274 crore.

To support local farming, four new Central Cooperative Banks opened in Phalodi, Balotra, Didwana, and Pratapgarh. These banks offer interest-free loans to farmers. Also, 10,500 people received job letters during the 10th Chief Minister Employment Festival.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently launched and started work on several development projects in Alwar, Rajasthan. These projects are worth Rs 6,453 crore. This scheme aims to help the rural economy by focusing on dairy and cooperative sectors. During the event, Shah performed the Bhoomi Pujan for a new milk processing plant. This plant will help increase daily capacity to 5 lakh litres.

Rural development projects in Rajasthan

Government officials are focusing on the welfare of farmers and livestock rearers through schemes like Kisan Samman Nidhi. Four new Saras Dairy plants are now working in Bhilwara, Jaipur, Pali, and Rajsamand. Shah pointed out that these efforts, along with projects in Chittorgarh, bring the total investment for the day to Rs 11,953 crore. The government is working on the Sahkar se Samriddhi vision. It aims to take cooperative societies to every village to help local communities.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar scheme, which starts on October 2. This scheme will help 1.8 lakh poor families identified in a recent eight-part survey. Deputy commissioners will link these families to related welfare schemes within two months.

During Independence Day events, government launched Indira Gandhi Matri Shishu Sankalp Yojana to better nutrition for mothers and children. Also, state is raising monthly pay for ASHA workers and changing pay for various outsourced health staff starting September 1.

Additional state updates

Other announcements include filling 4,000 posts in Jal Shakti Vibhag, starting 100 new CBSE schools, and adding robotic surgery services in government hospitals. State government keeps helping at-risk groups through different schemes, including Pension Scheme and Female Child Birth Gift Scheme.

Delhi government opened 25 new Atal Canteens on August 16, 2026. This brings the total to 100 centers across the city. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu opened these sites to mark the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Canteen details

Subsidized meals are now available for ₹5 per plate. The scheme serves about 1 lakh people every day, including students and daily wage workers. Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board manages these canteens. They are located near busy spots like AIIMS and LNJP hospitals. Quality control is handled through digital tokens and CCTV monitoring to make sure hygiene standards stay high.

Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced a 2 percent increase in Dearness Allowance for state government employees and Dearness Relief for pensioners. This hike applies from January 1 to June 2026. All payments will reach them before the Dashain 2026 festival.

State economic and welfare updates

This update came during Independence Day celebrations at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok. The Chief Minister confirmed the state now follows central government policy for these revisions. He also noted the state's economic growth. GSDP reached about ₹62,973 crore in 2026-27.

He mentioned several support plans. The Aama Sashaktikaran Yojana will reach 50,000 mothers by 2027. Also, new interest subsidy schemes are available for farmers repaying KCC loans.

Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) helped 6.25 million first-time employees since it started on August 1, 2025. This is about 32.6 percent of the target of 19.2 million new job seekers. Official data shows that 1.31 million workers got their first incentive payments after working for six months.

The scheme helped create 4.85 million jobs through 186,000 employers. The total budget for the scheme is ₹99,446 crore, and the government has paid out ₹2,814 crore so far. Officials explain that this money will be spent over several years until FY31, not in one year. New employees earning up to ₹1 lakh a month can get up to ₹15,000 in incentives. Employers also get monthly support for keeping staff.

Current hiring trends

Some economists are cautious about these numbers. They think hiring depends on aggregate demand and business growth instead of small incentives. Recent surveys show that businesses are hiring less. Many firms are using their current staff to meet work needs.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on August 16, 2026, that 1,867 hospitals in the state will provide services under Ayushman Bharat and Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana. This network includes 1,240 private hospitals and 627 government medical facilities. Eligible people can now get treatment at 38,600 hospitals across the country.

Health benefits for families

Cashless health coverage of up to ₹5 lakh is available to eligible families. Families not covered by Ayushman Bharat get support under the state scheme. This scheme covers 80 lakh families. The scheme now offers 1,950 treatment packages, up from 1,700 procedures. Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherrjee confirmed these details to help people in West Bengal get better medical care.

Payment of the third instalment for Annapurna Yojana started today, August 17, 2026. The state government is sending the monthly benefit of ₹3,000 to eligible women in different districts. This will continue until Friday, August 21, 2026.

Important details about the payment

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said women who applied by July 10 are getting priority. The state has also relaxed eligibility criteria. This includes removing housing restrictions for rural applicants and land-holding limits in towns. Officials are checking 1.8 crore applications to make sure all verified, Aadhaar-linked accounts get their money on time. Eligible people can check the Annapurna Yojana 3rd Installment Date to see when the payment will arrive. You can also visit the Annapurna Yojana Portal for further updates.

Farmers in Haryana are facing money problems because compensation payments under Bhavantar Yojana are late. Satpal Kaushik, a farmer leader, says the state government owes over ₹200 crore for potato crops sold in February and March 2026.

Pending farmer payments

Also, payments of more than ₹7 crore for dhaincha and mung beans are pending. While the government earlier said these funds were released, farmers have not received the money in their bank accounts yet.

Kaushik pointed out that missing payments and seed availability problems are making many people turn away from farming. He has asked the government to pay these dues soon to stop further trouble for farmers.