After victory in the assembly elections in West Bengal, Subhendu Adhikari’s government will present its first budget on Monday. Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta will present the entire budget for the remaining eight months of the current financial year in the Assembly. The entire state’s eyes are on the first budget of the 18th Assembly. Before presenting the budget for the first time, Swapan Dasgupta gave a message, I will do whatever I can do in this budget and we will mention in detail what we want to do in the coming days.
of assembly budget session Started from 18th June. Before presenting the budget, Swapan Dasgupta met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Lahiri. The main challenge for the new Finance Minister is to maintain the pace of development by managing the state’s huge debt burden (about Rs 8 lakh crore).
The total debt of West Bengal in the financial year 2025-26 was about Rs 7.8 lakh crore. Every year about Rs 82 thousand crore is spent on repaying loans, out of which Rs 49 thousand crore is spent on interest. The state’s own revenue collection in the financial year 2025-26 was Rs 1 lakh 12 thousand 543 crore. Accordingly, about 75 percent of the revenue income was spent on repaying the loan. The total revenue income of the state including central tax share, grant-in-aid and other sources was about Rs 2 lakh 60 thousand crore. The state had to spend about one-third of its total revenue income on debt repayment.
Focus on industry and employment in Bengal budget
The Merchant Chamber of Commerce hopes that in the new budget, special emphasis will be given to increasing employment and bringing investment. The industry is also expecting an announcement to reduce the electricity consumption of the manufacturing industry. There may be emphasis on industry and employment in the budget. A new industrial policy may come.
Industrialization and increasing employment can be given highest priority in the first budget of the new government. There is a possibility of major changes in the industrial policy of the state to bring big investments. A separate policy is being made for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
New industrial policy may be announced
The new government plans to create modern infrastructure for about 90 lakh MSME units in the state. The new industrial policy in Monday’s budget is likely to focus on Special Economic Zones (SEZs), land, incentives and logistics policies.
The outline of the start-up policy mentioned in the BJP manifesto is likely to be included in the budget. There may be a proposal for financial assistance up to Rs 10 lakh for youth to start a start-up. The aim of the government is to bring five lakh youth under this scheme. The plan to create a new industrial taluka in Singur may also come in the budget.
A glimpse of election promises will be seen in the budget
Sources say that an order has been given to prepare the outline of the budget on the basis of the promises made in the manifesto. The government will make a plan to implement ‘one window’ system and provide necessary land for setting up industries. There is a plan to make a separate industrial policy for western districts and North Bengal. The government claims that many industrial groups have already shown interest in investing in the state.
Sources say that talks are going on with Adani and Jindal Group for investment. Adani Group has shown interest in deep sea port and tunnel projects under the Hooghly river. The new government is also considering taking initiatives to bring back the industrial groups that had left Bengal to the state. These can be seen in the budget. There is also speculation about whether there will be any announcement regarding DA or not.
What did Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta say?
Before presenting the budget for the first time, Swapan Dasgupta said, “People have elected us with a lot of expectations. People want a big change. We have to carefully balance how much money is in our coffers, but, we will show a direction. We will do as much as we can in this budget and we will mention in detail what we want to do in the coming days.”
Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee gave a message to the party MLAs about the first budget of the BJP government in Bengal. According to sources, Mamata told the party MLAs, “The government has just come, this is their first budget. We will give it time. If we criticize all their steps as soon as they come, people will not take it well. We will have to see what the state government can bring from the central government. Keep an eye on what happens. If you have something to say later during the discussion, you will get a chance to say it.”
Read this also- Election flavor visible in the budget! Nirmala Sitharaman showered projects from Bengal to Kerala
Input-TV9 Bangla/Diksha Bhuiyan
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