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Despite repeated assurances from the newly elected BJP government that all welfare schemes introduced under the previous Mamata Banerjee administration would continue without interruption, the situation on the ground across West Bengal appears very different. From healthcare to subsidised meals and direct cash transfers, many beneficiaries are already facing uncertainty and disruption.

Serious concerns have emerged regarding the future of the ‘Swasthya Sathi’ health scheme. The West Bengal Doctors’ Forum has written an urgent letter to newly appointed chief secretary Manoj Agarwal, warning that confusion over whether the scheme will continue or be replaced by Ayushman Bharat is already affecting critically ill patients.

The organisation stated that patients dependent on regular haemodialysis, blood transfusions, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, emergency cardiac treatment and life-saving surgeries are facing uncertainty due to administrative confusion. In its letter, the forum stressed that 'no life-saving medical treatment may be halted, postponed, or denied due to administrative uncertainty, for illness does not wait'.

The doctors’ body urged the government to issue immediate written instructions to all hospitals and nursing homes, making it clear that treatment under Swasthya Sathi must continue until any official policy change is announced.

Meanwhile, many private hospitals and nursing homes have reportedly stopped accepting Swasthya Sathi cards altogether. Arindam Mukherjee of Narayan Hospital said, “We are experiencing a technical snag in the Swastha Sathi portal and hence we are not accepting the card for the time being.”

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A patient co-ordinator at B.P. Poddar Hospital said, “We have to see the condition of the patient and the status of the card before admitting. In many cases, the cards are showing up as inactive and there are very few seats allotted for the scheme.”

Doctors across Kolkata say their patients are also being denied treatment under the scheme. Orthopaedic surgeon Dr A.K. Roy said, “I have sent two surgery cases to Jagannath Gupta Hospital in Budge Budge and Kasturi Nursing Home in Thakurpukur, but both of them were asked to pay for treatment in cash as hospital authorities said their cards were not active. However, my patients have not received any message regarding their cards being inactive.”

At the same time, the state’s popular ‘Maa canteen’ scheme has also been hit by disruptions. Hundreds of these canteens across West Bengal have reportedly shut down amid uncertainty regarding payments and the continuation of the project under the new administration.

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According to government sources, at least 392 Maa canteens across the state have remained closed in recent days. In Kolkata alone, 52 canteens have reportedly stopped functioning, though a few reopened on Wednesday, 13 May, including canteens inside government hospital premises such as Vidyasagar Hospital and SSKM. The canteens, launched by the TMC government during the Covid-19 pandemic, provided rice, dal, vegetables and eggs for just Rs 5 and were widely used by daily wage earners, pavement dwellers and poor families.

Although the BJP government has clarified that the scheme will continue under a different name and that only photographs of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee would be removed, operations remain suspended in many places because of confusion over reimbursements and supplies.

One voluntary organisation involved in food supply said it had stopped cooking because fresh supplies of rice, lentils and eggs had not arrived for several days.

In Cooch Behar district's Mekhliganj, a Maa canteen near the sub-divisional hospital has remained closed since last week because of a shortage of cooking gas. The closure has caused difficulties for poor residents and families visiting patients at the hospital.

Local resident Toton Barman said, “Many people bring patients to the hospital for medical treatment. They used to have their lunch for just Rs 5 at this canteen, conveniently located near the hospital. Many destitute individuals also relied on this place for their meals. However, with the canteen currently closed, they are now forced to spend more money to eat at local hotels.”

Questions are also being raised over the continuation of the TMC government's flagship Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. Many women across the state say they have not received their monthly payments for May, causing anxiety among families dependent on the money.

Jyotsna Das, a domestic worker, said, “I have opened a recurring deposit account in my bank where I save this money given by Mamata Banerjee’s government every month. I have two daughters who are studying now. I have been saving this money for their future and marriage. But this month, I have not been able to deposit Rs 1,500 and am now worried whether I will be able to continue this recurring deposit anymore.”

The BJP government has announced that Lakshmir Bhandar will be replaced with a revised scheme called ‘Annapurna Bhandar’, under which women would receive Rs 3,000 through direct benefit transfer. However, ministers have said beneficiary lists will first be verified to remove deceased persons and non-citizens before fresh payments begin from 1 June.

Following the first cabinet meeting of the new government, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had said, “No existing social welfare schemes will be discontinued.” He also stated that all pending work would be completed and that the state would now join Central schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and PM-Kisan.

However, despite these assurances, disruptions in healthcare services, the closure of subsidised canteens and delays in welfare payments have left many ordinary people worried about whether these schemes are truly continuing without interruption.