‘Honouring Syama Prasad legacy’: State renames ‘Banglar Bari’ as ‘Paschim Banga Awas’, releases 2nd instalment
Times of India | 7 August 2026
Kolkata: The state has renamed its flagship rural housing scheme ‘Banglar Bari’ – introduced by the previous Trinamool govt – as ‘Paschim Banga Awas’. CM Suvendu Adhikari said the change was intended to recall the contribution of Syama Prasad Mookerjee in the creation of West Bengal.
Announcing the release of the second instalment of housing scheme funds at Nabanna on Thursday, Adhikari said the amount had started reaching beneficiaries’ bank accounts. “As many as 10,20,379 beneficiaries are set to receive Rs 60,000 each as the second instalment, taking the total disbursement to more than Rs 6,000 crore,” he stated.
Explaining the name change, the CM said, “The term ‘Paschim Banga’ was closely linked to the history of Partition and the creation of the state. The name has immense historical significance. We renamed ‘Banglar Bari’ to honour that legacy.”
Both the Left Front and the TMC govts repeatedly sought to rename West Bengal to ‘Bangla’ to assert cultural identity and improve alphabetical ranking in central meetings. However, BJP opposes the change, arguing ‘West’ honours the creation of the state.
Speaking on this, panchayat and rural development minister Dilip Ghosh took aim at the beneficiary list prepared by TMC govt. As many as 57,000 beneficiaries, whose names had been deleted from the electoral rolls in SIR, and another 12,500 who were ineligible, have been removed from the scheme’s list, he added.
Adhikari claimed that the beneficiary list prepared under the previous govt had been subjected to a detailed review to eliminate irregularities and ensure that assistance reached genuine beneficiaries. “The state govt’s primary objective was to curb nepotism and the inclusion of ineligible entrants,” he said.
Adhikari went on to add that since 2014, the Centre has sanctioned around Rs 30,000 crore for around 40 lakh houses in the state.
Out of the 30 lakh names listed under the scheme by the previous govt, about 18 lakh received the first instalment last Dec. Besides the 10 lakh who received the second instalment, around eight lakh are still under review.
The first instalment for more eligible families would be released after Durga Puja, Adhikari said.