Every few days, the internet decides that the meme multiverse requires an upgrade and ends up picking the most unexpected thing possible and turns it into comedy gold.
This time, it's the Annapurna Bhandar form, a government welfare scheme in Bengal. Introduced by the BJP government after the Assembly election 2026, this programme provides eligible women with a monthly financial assistance of Rs. 3,000.
The forms were released on Wednesday, and that is where all the official explanations ended and then the memes were everywhere: In your Instagram reels, Facebook comment sections, WhatsApp groups, and X posts.
One meme would probably end up having the last laugh by the end of the day, as it compared transferring Lakshmir Bhandar, which was introduced by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee to Annapurna Bhandar by filling out a 12-page form equivalent to a battle that would put history books to shame.
The Bengali text in the meme roughly translates to:
“From Lakshmir Bhandar to Annapurna Bhandar, the online form has become 12 pages long!
You must write in detail about your 14-generations, the Mughal Empire’s history, why the Battle of Plassey happened, how human evolution works, and how dinosaurs went extinct…”
Another meme doing the rounds online takes the joke even further.
The Bengali text says: “Shunlam Ray o Martin-er Annapurna Bhandar ‘form fill up guide’ beriyeche? College Street-e pabo?” (I heard that Ray and Martin has released a 'Annapurna Bhandar' 'Form-Filling Guide'? Will I be able to find it on College Street?)
Ray & Martin is an educational publishing house in Kolkata, best known for producing essential study guides, reference books, and question banks for students.
College Street is known as Kolkata’s book district.
Another viral meme has put a spotlight towards an unexpected winner: your neighbourhood cybercafe owner. Because as people struggle to fill up the form and run to cyber cafes, owners sit back like Wall Street traders, enjoying the sudden boom in revenue.
Probably one of the most accurate memes circulating the internet would be one which uses the iconic scene from Mr Bean where he walks into an exam hall completely unprepared for the paper in front of him.
He panics seeing the wrong question paper, resulting in comical failures. The internet has now decided this is the emotional experience of filling out the Annapurna Bhandar form.
Another meme said: “Before Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries get shifted to Annapurna Bhandar, they must first clear a 12-page Saraswati examination,” taking viewers on a laughing role saying “only death certificate was exempted from the list” while another said “Still the form fill up feels in complete, they should have asked for blood test reports, DNA test report and ex’s wedding card.”
The Annapurna Bhandar money will be transferred directly into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts through India’s Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, with the stated aim of supporting women empowerment.
It was a manifesto promise by the BJP to counter the TMC’s Lakshmi Bhandar scheme and to woo women voters.