Bengal presents Rs 4.38 lakh crore budget with twin focus on welfare, infrastructure
Kolkata, June 22
Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta on Monday presented a Rs 4.38 lakh crore budget for 2026-27, outlining a twin focus on social welfare and industry-led infrastructure development in West Bengal.
Presenting the maiden budget of the state's first BJP government since Independence, Dasgupta said all existing welfare schemes will continue, with stricter targeting to ensure benefits reach genuine beneficiaries. He added that the government has inherited an accumulated debt of over Rs 8.15 lakh crore.
Addressing unemployment, the Finance Minister announced, "I propose to fill up one lakh vacant posts in different state government departments and reserve 33 per cent of the new posts for women. Of the 1,00,000 new posts, 20,000 will be for the police department, 50,000 will be for teaching staff in state-run schools, and the remaining 30,000 will be for other departments. There will be a 10 per cent reservation for Agniveers wherever necessary."
The allocation under the Member of Legislative Assembly-Local Area Development (MLA-LAD) funds has been increased from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1 crore.
In relief to employees and pensioners, Dasgupta announced a 20 percentage point increase in dearness allowance -- from 18 per cent to 38 per cent -- effective October 1, 2026. Civic volunteers will receive a monthly hike of Rs 2,000.
Among welfare measures, the Minister announced financial assistance for victims of political violence, a tribal university at Jhargram with an initial corpus of Rs 10 crore, and Rs 36 crore for the Annapurna Yojana, under which women aged 25-60 will receive direct benefit transfers. He also proposed expansion of the 125-day rural work scheme with 25 lakh additional beneficiaries under VB G RAM G.
A one-time grant of Rs 25,000 will be provided to college students for competitive exam preparation. Under a new 'Bhorsa' scheme, unemployed graduates will receive Rs 3,000 per month and others Rs 2,000, subject to income conditions. Rs 3,100 crore has been allocated for Ayushman Bharat, covering seven crore beneficiaries.
On infrastructure, Finance Minister Dasgupta announced a greenfield airport at Kalyani in Nadia district and a deep-sea port at Dadanpatrabar in East Midnapore under a PPP model. Additional airports are planned at Purulia, Malda and Balurghat, while Cooch Behar airport will be expanded.
"The Greenfield Airport at Kalyani is necessary to ease the current pressure at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The new airport will be set up on 1,500 acres of land, and the state government will identify suitable land for the project. Deep sea port at Dadanpatrabar in East Midnapore district will be set up in the PPP model," Dasgupta said.
He added that the state government will do all that is necessary to resolve problems related to land acquisition for the dedicated freight corridors of Dankuni-Ludhiana and Dankuni-Surat.
"New airports at Purulia, Malda and Balurghat will also be set up. The existing airport at Cooch Behar will be expanded. The state government will also provide land for the expansion of the Indian Air Force bases at Hasimara in Alipurduar district and Kalaikunda in West Midnapore district.
The government will also support the expansion of Indian Air Force bases at Hasimara and Kalaikunda and address land-related issues for dedicated freight corridors linking Dankuni with Ludhiana and Surat.
Dasgupta said the government will review the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, to improve land availability for projects and facilitate investments through a single-window clearance system.
"The state government will also give all necessary support for the revival of the ailing Calcutta Stock Exchange. All necessary clearance for investment proposals of Rs 100 crore and above will be granted through a single-window system of the state government henceforth, thus ensuring ease of doing business," Dasgupta said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As a college student from a middle-class family in Kolkata, the Rs 25,000 grant for competitive exam preparation is a game-changer! Combined with the Bhorsa scheme for unemployed graduates, this could really help many youngsters like me. However, I hope the "stricter targeting" of welfare schemes doesn't create unnecessary hurdles for genuine beneficiaries. The devil is in the details, as they say. 📚
I appreciate the focus on infrastructure – airports in Purulia, Malda, and Balurghat will boost connectivity in backward regions. But why no mention of improving Kolkata's crumbling road and drainage infrastructure? The city floods every monsoon! Also, the deep-sea port at Dadanpatrabar is long overdue – Bengal's maritime potential has been neglected for decades. Hope this isn't just election gimmickry. 🚧
The 20% DA hike for employees and pensioners is welcome, but inflation has eaten away real salaries. With education costs rising, Rs 3,000 per month under Bhorsa is barely enough for a graduate – that's less than Rs 100 per day! And what about the unorganized sector workers who form the backbone of Bengal's economy? They're completely missing from this budget. Also, financial assistance for "victims of political violence" sounds like a vote-bank move. 🤔
Annapurna Yojana for women aged 25-60 with DBT is a great welfare measure! And the expansion of the 125-day rural work scheme with 25 lakh more beneficiaries under VB G RAM G shows sensitivity towards rural Bengal. But why only 20,000 police posts? Law and order in Bengal has been a major concern for years. Also, reviving the Calcutta Stock Exchange is a smart move – it could attract investment back to the city. Let's be cautiously optimistic. 🎯
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