In its first Budget, West Bengal BJP government pushes for jobs, industries and welfarism
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal on Monday (June 22, 2026) tabled its first Budget in the Assembly with a push for
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal on Monday (June 22, 2026) tabled its first Budget in the Assembly with a push for the State’s industrial revival and creation of jobs. It also continued with the State’s tradition of welfare of farmers and the backward classes. Also read | West Bengal set to implement Health Mission, says CM Suvendu Adhikari Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta tabled a ₹4.38 lakh-crore Budget with the promise that the aim of the newly elected government was to “build Viksit Bangla as a part of Viksit Bharat”. Dasgupta announced that the State government was going to provide employment to one lakh people in the financial year 2026-27 with 33% of the vacant posts reserved for women candidates. Another highlight of the Budget was the announcement of a 20% hike of Dearness Allowance (DA) for State government employees. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari assured that the State government employees in the due course would receive DA at par with Central government employees, a demand of the employees and a poll promise of the BJP. The Budget set aside ₹36,000 crore for Annapurna Yojana, the financial assistance scheme for women in which eligible women would receive ₹3,000 a month.
For unemployed youth, the Finance Minister announced ₹3,000 a month under the Bhorsa Karmasathi scheme. Cash incentives to women and unemployed youth were started in the Trinamool Congress regime and the BJP had promised to double the benefits when it came to power. For rural employment, the West Bengal government allocated ₹14,000 crore under the VB-GRAMG scheme, which was likely to begin in the State from July 2026. Funds under the MGNREGA had been suspended in the State since 2022 due to Centre-State tussle. “We have ended the needless conflict with the Centre and tried to take advantage of everything the double engine has to offer,” Mr. Dasgupta said, adding that the new BJP government had tried to put Bengal back on the map of India. Mid-day meal allocation The West Bengal Budget 2026-27 announced a raise in the salary of ASHA workers under the ICDS scheme by ₹5,000 a month along with a hike of ₹2,000 a month for civic police volunteers. Cook-cum-helpers under the PM POSHAN scheme would get ₹1,000 more as honorarium, and the mid-day meal allocation per student would be raised to ₹10.
While the Chief Minister welcomed the hike in wages of ASHA workers, he said many civic police volunteers recruited under the previous regime were not qualified and his government would carry out a scrutiny of such workers. The Budget reintroduced a scheme of providing incentives to industry and allocated ₹5,000 crore for the purpose. The State government promised a West Bengal Industrial Promotion Framework with a thrust on industrial development through a cluster approach. To promote the ease of doing business, the State government promised that proposals over ₹100 crore would be exempted from acquiring a no-objection certificate from local bodies. The Budget also promised a re-examination of the West Bengal Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act to unlock the potential of developable land, attract major investments and fuel economic growth in urban areas. Agriculture package For the welfare of farmers, the Budget unveiled a wide-ranging agriculture package, including ₹3,000 annual State assistance for farmers in addition to PM-KISAN benefits and a ₹200 per quintal bonus over minimum support price (MSP) for paddy procurement. On upgradation of infrastructure, the Finance Minister announced an integrated deep sea port to be set up at Dadanpatrabar in Purba Medinipur as well as attempts to set up a new greenfield airport near Kolkata at Kalyani, for which the State government would scout for 1,000 to 1,500 acres of land.
The BriefWire