West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari (PTI photo)

New Delhi: The West Bengal cabinet led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday scrapped aid given to groups based on religious classification, effectively ending religion-based schemes run during the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government.The BJP government has also removed the existing state OBC list as per the Calcutta High Court judgment and will set up a panel to decide the quota eligibility.A few days ago, Suvendu government had reportedly withdrawn the petition filed by Mamata government against the High Court stay on releasing the state OBC list.On July 28 last year, the CJI-led bench of the Supreme Court had lifted the high court’s stay on the implementation of the new OBC list, which had a total of 140 sub-groups under OBC-A and OBC-B categories, of which 80 belonged to the Muslim community. The Supreme Court had said that it is well settled that the executive can notify such a list without passing a law. The previous list, which was quashed by the High Court, had 113 OBC sub-groups, including 77 from the Muslim community and 36 others.Minister Agnimitra Paul said, “The Bengal Cabinet has decided to stop government assistance to groups based on religious classification from June. The government has also scrapped the existing state OBC list as per the Calcutta High Court judgment and will set up a panel to decide the quota eligibility.”He said the schemes being implemented under religious classification by the departments of Information and Cultural Affairs and Minority Affairs and Madrassa Education will continue till the end of this month and will be discontinued from June.Addressing a press conference after the meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna, Minister Agnimitra Paul said women who had applied for citizenship under the CAA and had approached tribunals to be included in the voter list in the wake of the SIR exercise, would also get the benefits of the ‘Annapurna’ scheme.“The cabinet approved the ‘Annapurna’ scheme of providing monthly assistance of Rs 3,000 to women from June 1. The proposal to allow free travel for women in government-run buses from next month was also approved, he said after the second meeting of the state council of ministers.The BJP had promised during the recent assembly election campaign that its government would ensure free travel for women in state-run buses and offer them a Rs 3,000 monthly scheme, compared to Rs 1,500 given under the “Lakshmir Bhandar” scheme of the previous TMC government.Women and Child Development Minister Paul said the government has also approved the constitution of the 7th State Pay Commission for its employees and those working in affiliated statutory civic bodies, education boards and state-run educational institutions.Asked whether the issue of dearness allowance was raised in the meeting chaired by Suvendu Adhikari, Paul said, “There was no discussion on DA today. Such discussion will be taken later.”