New Delhi, July 1 -- The first tranche of financial assistance under the Annapurna Yojana has been transferred to nearly 1.1 crore women beneficiaries in West Bengal, the state's Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday while announcing the rollout of the scheme.

Speaking at the official launch of the programme at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, the Chief Minister said the state government had received around 1.6 crore applications for the scheme. Of these, 26 lakh applications were rejected following scrutiny over doubts related to citizenship and domicile status, news agency PTI reported.

"Twenty-six lakh applications under the Annapurna Yojana have been rejected. Scrutiny is necessary," the Chief Minister said.

Defending ...