The West Bengal government has announced free travel for women in all state-run buses across the state, which will be effective from June 1, 2026. According to a notification issued by the Transport Department on May 21, the Government of West Bengal stated that the scheme aims to enhance women's empowerment and improve their access to transport facilities. The notification covers all short-route and long-route state-run buses for public service in various categories of buses, with the scheme set to come into effect from June 1, 2026. As per the notification, free transportation shall be provided in all state-run buses to all women of West Bengal. The government declared that "In order to enhance women's empowerment and to improve their access to transport facilities, the Government of West Bengal has decided to implement a scheme for free transportation for women of the state in all state-run buses in West Bengal."
As part of the implementation mechanism, the state government will introduce a Smart Card (digital with QR code) for beneficiaries. The notification specified that one Smart Card with the photo and name of the beneficiary will be issued to each woman beneficiary upon application submission to the BDO/SDO having jurisdiction. For card issuance, applicants must provide supporting documents including Aadhar Card, Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC), VB-G RAMG Job Card (Grameen Rozgar Gurantee Card), Ayushman Bharat Health Card, Driving Licence, PAN Card, Indian Passport, pension documents with photograph, Service Identity Cards issued to employees by Central/State government/PSUs/Public Limited Companies, Official Identity Card issued by Schools/Colleges/Universities, and any other ID card issued by Government of West Bengal, along with recent photograph of the beneficiary. The notification emphasized that free transportation shall be provided in all state-run buses to all women of West Bengal. Women passengers will initially be allowed to avail the benefit by producing valid photo identity documents while travelling, with eligible beneficiaries later receiving smart cards carrying QR codes, photographs, and personal details.
Until smart cards are issued, identification of beneficiaries will be allowed on the basis of any Photo ID card mentioned in the notification. During the interim period, 'Zero Value Ticket'/Thermal Paper Ticket' will be issued to women commuters upon request to the on-duty Conductor after ID verification. The notification added that for immediate rollout and till issuance of smart card, identification of beneficiaries will be allowed on the basis of any Photo ID card as mentioned above issued by the competent authority of the Government. The scheme ensures that free transportation shall be provided in all state-run buses to all women of West Bengal. Bus conductors have been instructed to issue "zero value tickets" after checking identity documents until the smart card system becomes operational.
The order has been issued with concurrence of the Finance Department vide 'UO No. Group R/2026-2027/0018 dated 16.05.2026' and approval of the Cabinet vide 'No. T-D-2 dated 18.05.2026'. The scheme represents a major move aimed at enhancing women's empowerment and improving access to public transport facilities across West Bengal, with the Governor's approval ensuring the comprehensive implementation of free transportation services for all women commuters. The notification further stated that now, in view of the above, the Governor is pleased to order that free transportation will be provided to all women of West Bengal in all state-run buses across the state of West Bengal to enhance women's empowerment.
Simultaneously, the State government has started verification work for the proposed Annapurna Yojana, which will replace the existing Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. Under the programme, eligible women aged between 25 and 60 years are expected to receive ₹3,000 per month through direct benefit transfer into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. Government employees, pensioners, and income taxpayers will not be eligible for the scheme. District administrations have been directed to complete a beneficiary verification and database-cleansing exercise before the rollout, with officials asked to remove duplicate, shifted, deceased, and other ineligible entries from the beneficiary list. Field-level verification is currently being conducted by gram panchayat staff, booth-level officers, and block officials in several districts. The government is also developing an online portal for fresh applications, corrections, and beneficiary authentication, with the verification exercise scheduled to be completed by May 25, 2026, while the online application portal for new beneficiaries is expected to open from June 1, 2026.
