The West Bengal government has presented its first budget under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with a focus on creating 100,000 government jobs, increasing the dearness allowance (DA) for state employees, and launching new initiatives for social welfare and infrastructure development.
Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta presented a net budget of ₹4,38,775.29 crore for 2026-2027, which includes a 20% hike in DA for all state employees and teachers, effective from October 1, 2026. The budget also allocates ₹36,000 crore for the Annapurna Yojna, a scheme providing ₹3000 monthly financial assistance to women.
The government has also announced the creation of 100,000 government jobs, with 33% reserved for women. The jobs will be created in various sectors, including police, teaching, and non-teaching staff. The upper age limit for recruitment has been relaxed by five years, and this benefit will be available for the next two years.
The budget also includes the allocation of ₹1,000 crore for a new scheme providing a one-time support of ₹50,000 to unmarried girl students getting admission for undergraduate courses at government and government-aided colleges. ₹550 crore has been allocated for free bus rides for women, as promised in the BJP's election manifesto.
The government will also form new districts at Kolkata, Bashirhat, the Sundarbans, Jangipur, and Arambag, and create a new sub-division at Gopiballavpur. New airports will be set up in Purulia, Balurghat, and Malda, while the existing airport at Coochbehar will be expanded.
The budget also includes the allocation of ₹14,000 crore for the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) and ₹13,000 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin). The government will also establish a Tea Workers Development Board to look into the welfare of tea garden workers.
The budget has been welcomed by the BJP, which sees it as a step towards fulfilling its election promises. However, the opposition Trinamool Congress has criticized the budget, calling it "not a full budget but only for eight months."
