The newly formed government in West Bengal has announced that welfare schemes linked to religious identity, including monthly honorariums for imams, muezzins and temple priests, will be discontinued from June.

The policy marks a major shift from the earlier Trinamool Congress government, which had introduced financial assistance programmes for religious functionaries after coming to power in the state.

According to reports, the first such scheme was launched in 2012, under which registered imams in West Bengal received a monthly honorarium of Rs 2,500. Similar support was later extended to muezzins and Hindu temple priests.

The new administration led by Suvendu Adhikari has maintained that government welfare initiatives should not be distributed on the basis of religion.

The announcement comes shortly after the BJP formed the government in West Bengal following the recent Assembly elections.

The decision is expected to trigger political debate in the state, as the honorarium schemes had remained a key issue in Bengal politics for several years.

The Delhi government has announced collateral-free loans of up to Rs 10 crore for women-led startups and self-help groups (SHGs), with the government set to act as guarantor for eligible applicants. The announcement was made by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during the inauguration of a two-day Mega SHG Mela in Rohini.

The initiative is aimed at helping women entrepreneurs and small home-run businesses that often face difficulties in securing institutional credit due to the lack of collateral or financial guarantees.

According to the Chief Minister, the Delhi government itself will stand as guarantor for the loans extended to women-led startups and SHGs.

The announcement was made at the Mega SHG Mela organised near Rohini West Metro Station in northwest Delhi, where around 24 self-help groups showcased products including handicrafts, khadi items, crochet work, food products and household goods.

Focus on women entrepreneurship

The scheme is expected to benefit women entrepreneurs operating small businesses in sectors such as tailoring, handicrafts, beauty services, food processing and retail ventures. Many such businesses rely heavily on personal savings or informal borrowing because access to formal bank credit remains limited.

The Delhi government also said it plans to create dedicated retail opportunities for locally made products in malls and major shopping complexes across the capital to improve market access for women-led businesses.

During the event, Rekha Gupta highlighted initiatives such as “Vocal for Local” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat,” encouraging the promotion of indigenous products and local manufacturing.

A passenger train bound for Patna caught fire at Sasaram railway station in Bihar on Monday morning, with officials suspecting a short circuit as the likely cause of the blaze.

According to initial reports, the incident took place around 6 am when the Sasaram-Patna fast passenger train was stationed at platform number six shortly before its scheduled departure. Thick smoke was seen billowing out from one of the coaches as railway personnel and firefighters rushed to contain the fire.

The fire created panic among passengers present at the station, but no injuries or casualties were reported. Railway Police and fire brigade teams managed to bring the situation under control after emergency efforts at the spot. One coach of the train was reportedly completely damaged in the incident.

Railway authorities have started procedures to detach the damaged coach and conduct a detailed inspection before the train resumes operations. Officials said the exact cause of the fire is under investigation, though preliminary findings point towards a suspected electrical short circuit.

The incident comes a day after another fire was reported in a Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam region. In that case too, passengers were evacuated safely and railway authorities later initiated a wider review of fire safety systems in coaches and railway infrastructure.