Mamata Banerjee Launches 'Yuva Sathi' Scheme, BJP Calls It Election Lure

• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee launched the 'Yuva Sathi' scheme, offering Rs 1,500/month to unemployed youth aged 21-40 who haven't studied beyond 10th grade.
• Inspired by Nitish Kumar's Bihar election strategy, the scheme aims to engage unemployed youth ahead of Bengal's assembly elections.
• On its first day, approximately two lakh youths registered across 294 constituencies, with camps operating until February 26.
• The scheme, announced in the 2026-27 budget with a 5,000 crore rupee provision, targets 27.8 lakh youths; first payment advanced to April 1, coinciding with upcoming elections.
• BJP criticizes it as an 'electoral lure scheme,' questioning its timing and lack of online application, while TMC defends it as a welfare initiative despite central fund withholding.