Kolkata: State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta has presented a ₹4,38,775.29 crore net budget for the 2026–27 financial year, marking the first-ever fiscal plan introduced by a BJP government in West Bengal. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari hailed the roadmap as a definitive step toward creating a fear-free environment and reviving the state's economic and cultural dignity.
Designed to balance major social welfare expansions with massive employment and infrastructure commitments, the highly anticipated budget looks to drive regional growth while addressing long-standing public administrative demands.
A primary highlight of the budget is a massive recruitment drive aimed at filling 1,00,000 new government vacancies, which includes positions for 50,000 teachers and 20,000 police personnel, with 33% of all new jobs reserved for women and 10% for Agniveers.
To narrow the historical parity gap with central government staff, the administration announced a 20 percentage point hike in Dearness Allowance (DA), taking the total state DA from 18% to 38% effective from 1 October 2026. Financial relief was also extended to grassroots workers, with monthly wages for Asha and Anganwadi workers set to increase by ₹5,000, para-teachers receiving a ₹5,000 monthly bump, and civic volunteers, green police, and home guards seeing a monthly raise of ₹2,000.
For welfare and youth empowerment, the government allocated ₹36,000 crore to the flagship Annapurna Yojna, introduced a ₹550 crore provision for free all-women bus travel, and launched the Bhorsa scheme to provide ₹3,000 per month for unemployed graduates alongside a ₹50,000 one-time scholarship for unmarried female students.
To unlock industrial potential and counter the state's high outstanding debt of over ₹8 lakh crore, the budget proposes to re-examine the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act to simplify private investments exceeding ₹100 crore.
Furthermore, the state will fast-track landmark infrastructure projects, including an integrated deep-sea port at Dadanpatrabarh in Purba Medinipur, a semiconductor unit in Durgapur, an IT park in Siliguri, new premier IIT and IIM institutions in North Bengal, and a new greenfield airport in Kalyani complemented by UDAAN scheme airports in Purulia, Balurghat, and Malda.