From recruiting 1 lakh people and building infrastructure to welfare schemes and increasing connectivity: Read how the BJP government is transforming West Bengal through its maiden budget

On Monday (22nd June), the newly formed BJP government in West Bengal presented its maiden budget in the Vidhan Sabha. Finance Minister Dr Swapan Dashupta gave a speech for 1.5 hours and outlined the plan to develop the State after 15 years of Mamata’s misgovernance.

With its vision of ‘Vikshit Bharat, Vikshit Bangla’, the BJP government set out to reclaim its historical mantle as India’s economic, cultural, and intellectual engine.

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Welfare schemes to continue uninterrupted

The BJP government has explicitly declared that all existing social security and welfare projects in West Bengal will continue uninterrupted. However, these schemes will undergo systematic modifications to ensure benefits directly reach the beneficiaries.

A prime example of this welfare expansion is the landmark ‘Annapurna Yojana’, which provides a guaranteed monthly financial assistance of ₹3,000 to eligible women aged between 25 and 60 years. This monumental programme has been backed with a massive budgetary allocation of ₹36,000 crore.

The BJP government has also introduced free travel for all women on State-run buses and issued Pink Cards for the same. A budget of ₹550 crore has been earmarked for this scheme.

Establishing public trust, carrying out mass recruitment drive

A new helpline initiative (+91 8282082820) has been introduced to resolve citizen grievances transparently and directly. The ‘Dial 112’ helpline is being rolled out across the state with a ₹100 crore setup fund. The government is establishing 5 new districts in Kolkata, Basirhat, Sundarban, Jangipur, and Arambagh to bring governance closer to the people.

All public exams will follow the structural transparency of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The budget promises the immediate filling of 1,00,000 vacant government posts, and reserving 33% of them for women and a 10% reservation for Agniveers. This includes 20,000 positions in the police department and 50,000 in the education sector.

State employees to get their fair share

State employees, teachers, non-teaching staff, and pensioners will receive an additional 20% Dearness Allowance (DA) over the current 18%, raising the total to 38%. It will be effective from 1st October this year.

Civic volunteers, home guards, NVF personnel, and animal husbandry caretakers will get a flat ₹2,000 monthly raise. Monthly honorariums for Anganwadi workers, helpers, and ASHA workers see an increase of ₹5,000.

Building Infrastructure and enhancing connectivity

In his speech, Dr Swapan Dasgupta informed that prolonged land acquisition challenges in the State will be resolved. The BJP government will implement the Dankuni-Surat Dedicated Freight Corridor and build a logistics hub at Dankuni. A proposal was also unveiled to build a Deep Sea Port at Dadanpatrabar (Purba Medinipur) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

A major Bhagirathi Main Bridge connecting Kalna and Shantipur will be built at a cost of ₹1,200 crore. A 7.41 km long Chingrighata-New Town Elevated Corridor costing ₹900 crore will link Central Kolkata directly with Sector V and EM Bypass. A major highway expansion project worth ₹1,850 crore will bridge Dankuni Junction and Magra in Hooghly.

A 4-lane bridge over the Mayurakshi River on NH-14 is sanctioned for Birbhum. At the same time, studies have been ordered to evaluate metro expansions between Durgapur-Asansol and Siliguri-Jalpaiguri. Under the UDAN scheme, new airports will be set up in Purulia, Balurghat, and Malda. The Cooch Behar airport will be expanded.

Importantly, the government has announced plans to identify up to 1,500 acres of land near Kalyani to build Kolkata’s 2nd Greenfield Airport.

Development of schools and universities

In its budget, the BJP government focused on bringing structural education reforms. The centrally sponsored PM-SHRI scheme will be rolled out in the State with a massive allocation of ₹2,100 crore. Selected schools will feature SMART classrooms, technology-enabled platforms and grading aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020).

About 1,000 Atal Tinkering Labs will be established across schools with a ₹200 crore budget. These institutes will train children in robotics, AI, and coding. Jadavpur University will be turned into an Institute of Excellence with a budget allocation of ₹1,200 crore over the next 5 years (₹1,000 crore from the Centre, ₹200 crore from the State). A premier Tribal University will also be established in Jhargram at an estimated cost of ₹150 crore.

The BJP government has announced that unmarried female students enrolling in bachelor’s degrees at government colleges will receive a 1-time grant of ₹50,000 to prevent dropouts.

Students who clear admissions into the world’s top 100 QS-ranked global universities for UG or Master’s programs will have their entire tuition fee and health insurance sponsored by the government. Starting in October this year, a monthly stipend of up to ₹3000 will be given to graduates aged between 21 and 45 who are currently unemployed.

Improvements in healthcare and supporting farmers

The BJP government has formally implemented the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and committed ₹3,100 crore. This scheme offers free healthcare coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per year per family. It will immediately protect around 7 crore citizens.

The government will also adopt the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) and AMRIT stores across all districts and sub-divisional hospitals. As such, essential, life-saving medicines and surgical items will be available at discounts ranging from 50% to 90%. A new AIIMS Hospital will be built in North Bengal. At the same time, a cancer hospital and new super-speciality hospitals will be set up in the Sundarbans, Purulia, and Darjeeling.

To alleviate farmer distress, the State government will grant ₹3000 annually per farmer, besides ₹6000 given by the Central government. The loan processing times for paperless agri-credits will be reduced from 15 days to 15 minutes. A buffer fund of ₹100 crores will be setup under the PM-AASHA scheme to protect tomato, potato, onion, pulse, and oilseed farmers from drastic price drops.

The State government has also announced that farmers will receive an incentive of ₹200 per quintal over the central Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Industrialisation of West Bengal and ease of doing business

During the Budget speech, Dr Swapan Dasgupta highlighted steps to remove barriers to doing business and bringing about an industrial revolution in the State. He announced that the archaic Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, will be comprehensively revised.

To end syndicate raj and extortion culture, the government will enact strict laws and ensure statutory protection, fast-tracked judicial redressal. Major investments exceeding ₹100 crore will be entirely exempted from trade license approvals from Zilla Parishads. Those approvals will be moved to an automated, time-bound State Single-Window Clearing system.

Rules to allow restaurants and offices in select urban zones to function 24/7 under tight labour safety protocols have been relaxed. A new West Bengal Impact AI Mission will be set up to build a self-sustaining AI ecosystem.

The State government also announced plans to establish a premier Semiconductor unit in Durgapur. Attractive stamp duty refunds and electricity duty concessions have been announced to invite data centre infrastructure and cloud computing operators.

To enable youth micro-entrepreneurship, the government introduced the Banglar Udyam Credit Card that will provide financial backing up to ₹10 lakh to young innovators. 50% of the amount will be in the form of grant and 50% will be in the form of interest-free loan.

Budget Allocations in a snapshot

Here is the allocation for the Budget of ₹4,38,775.29 crore for the Financial Year 2026- 2027

Sl. No.Department / SectorProposed Allocation (in ₹ Crores)1Women, Child Development & Social Welfare₹52,308.50 2Panchayat & Rural Development₹51,836.55 3School Education₹44,948.21 4Health & Family Welfare₹24,753.72 5Home & Hill Affairs₹17,925.42 6Municipal Affairs & Urban Development₹14,609.77 7Public Health Engineering (PHE)₹12,935.33 8Agriculture Department₹8,565.84 9Food & Supplies₹8,053.03 10Public Works Department (PWD)₹7,240.13 11Higher Education₹7,168.60 12Power Department₹5,345.16

The end of Mamata’s regime has ushered Bengal into a new era of development. The double-engine government in the State is bringing structural transparency, building central partnerships (such as PM-SHRI, Ayushman Bharat, and SASCI), and re-industrialising Bengal through the infusion of capital and capacity building. This budget of 2026 is a roadmap to building a secure, economically competitive, and culturally rooted Sonar Bangla.

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