Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari's third cabinet clears Maa Ahaar, BSF land transfer
Synopsis
Bengal's new BJP cabinet under Suvendu Adhikari kept Mamata Banerjee's flagship ₹5 meal scheme alive — but rebranded it Maa Ahaar and expanded it to 500 centres. The bigger signal: 31.905 acres handed to the BSF for border fencing, West Bengal Day shifted to 20 June, and a Syama Prasad Mookerjee statue planned for 6 July.
Key Takeaways
Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari's third cabinet renamed Maa Canteens to Maa Ahaar , retaining the ₹5 meal price.
Subsidised meal network expanded from 390 to 500 centres, with 110 new locations.
Annapurna Yojana funds credited to 28,25,769 beneficiaries; future payouts will require form verification.
31.905 acres transferred to the BSF for fencing at nine points on the West Bengal-Bangladesh border; 12.721 acres more for 11 sites in South Dinajpur.
West Bengal Day shifted to 20 June ; a Syama Prasad Mookerjee statue to be installed on 6 July .
Surajit Nath Mitra appointed Advocate General; 354 new posts created in the SC, ST, OBC Development and Finance Corporation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal, chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, on Wednesday cleared a slate of decisions in its third cabinet meeting, including a rebrand of the erstwhile Maa Canteens to Maa Ahaar, an expansion of subsidised meal centres, and the transfer of 31.905 acres of land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for fencing along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border.
Maa Canteens rebranded, network expanded
The cabinet retained the ₹5 subsidised meal scheme launched during the Covid-19 period under the previous Mamata Banerjee government but renamed it Maa Ahaar. Cabinet member Dilip Ghosh said the meal network will grow from 390 centres to 500, adding 110 new locations.
“Earlier, food was provided at 390 places for Rs 5. This time, food will be available at 110 new places. Food will be distributed from 500 centres. The name of the project will be Maa Ahaar,” Ghosh said.
Annapurna Yojana disbursal and verification rule
Chief Minister Adhikari announced that funds under the Annapurna Yojana would be credited on Wednesday to 28,25,769 beneficiaries. Going forward, applicants will receive money only after their forms are verified — a procedural tightening flagged by the new administration.
Adhikari, along with cabinet colleagues Agnimitra Paul and Dilip Ghosh, handed over cheques of ₹3,000 each to five women at the event.
West Bengal Day, Syama Prasad Mookerjee statue
The cabinet decided that West Bengal Day will now be observed on 20 June instead of Poila Baishakh — a politically significant shift, given 20 June marks the day the state's legislature voted for the partition of Bengal in 1947. A new statue of Syama Prasad Mookerjee will be installed on his birth anniversary, 6 July, with the location yet to be finalised.
Land transfers to BSF, Forest, and Railways
The state handed over 31.905 acres to the BSF for fencing at nine points along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border. Paul said an additional 12.721 acres have been permanently transferred for fencing at 11 locations in South Dinajpur.
Separately, 20 acres in Nagrakata are being transferred to the Forest Department, which will pass it on to the Railways for the Sevoke-Rangpur broad gauge project. Approval was also granted to transfer 20 acres of private land in Nagrakata to the Railways for the same line.
Welfare, salary, and administrative moves
Compensation for the death of sewage workers will rise, with coverage extended to cases of physical disability sustained on duty. The West Bengal SC, ST, OBC Development and Finance Corporation will be restructured, with 354 new posts created. The Home and Hill Affairs departments have proposed raising the salary of the Chief Minister's Executive Assistants from ₹18,000 to ₹25,000 per month. Surajit Nath Mitra has been appointed Advocate General of West Bengal.
The decisions, taken together, signal the BJP government's early template — retaining popular welfare schemes under new branding, prioritising border security infrastructure, and recasting the state's symbolic calendar.
Point of View
Even while rebranding it Maa Ahaar, is the most politically revealing move of this cabinet. It concedes that the welfare architecture of the previous regime is too entrenched to dismantle, and that the BJP's task is co-option, not erasure. The symbolic recasting — West Bengal Day on 20 June, a Syama Prasad Mookerjee statue on 6 July — runs in parallel: rewriting the state's commemorative calendar while leaving the welfare plumbing intact. The land transfer to the BSF, meanwhile, signals where the new government's harder priorities lie: border infrastructure that the Centre has long sought.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is West Bengal Day being shifted to 20 June?
The Suvendu Adhikari cabinet decided that West Bengal Day will be observed on 20 June instead of Poila Baishakh. The date marks the day in 1947 when the Bengal legislature voted in favour of partition, a moment the BJP has long argued constitutes the formal founding of the state of West Bengal.
How much land has been transferred to the BSF for border fencing?
The state cabinet has cleared the transfer of 31.905 acres to the Border Security Force for fence construction at nine locations along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border. An additional 12.721 acres have been permanently transferred for fencing at 11 sites in South Dinajpur.
Who has been appointed the new Advocate General of West Bengal?
Surajit Nath Mitra has been appointed Advocate General of West Bengal by the new BJP government. The appointment was confirmed at the third cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
What changes have been made to the Annapurna Yojana disbursal process?
Funds under the Annapurna Yojana were credited on Wednesday to 28,25,769 beneficiaries. From now on, applicants will receive money only after their forms are verified, a procedural tightening introduced by the new administration.
