West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee officially announced the release of the first instalment of Rs 60,000 under the state government’s housing scheme, Banglar Bari (Rural).

• The scheme will provide Rs 1,20,000 to 12 lakh eligible families in two phases.
• The chief minister had earlier declared that the state would launch its independent housing programme without Centre’s support, accusing the Narendra Modi government of withholding its share of the PM-Awas Yojana funds for West Bengal for the past three years.
• As part of the project, the state administration carried out surveys and identified 28 lakh eligible families. In the first phase, 12 lakh families were selected, while the remaining 16 lakh families will receive Rs 1.2 lakh each by 2026.