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Mamata Banerjee govt presents ₹3.39-lakh crore Bengal budget
West Bengal finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya also announced a hike in dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners by 3 percentage points.
KOLKATA: West Bengal finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya presented a ₹3.39 lakh crore budget for 2023-24 in the assembly and said the state’s GDP was projected to grow at 8.4% in the current fiscal.
“I propose to provide a 3,39,162-crore budget for the financial year 2023-24,” Bhattacharya said as she made announcements for farmers, entrepreneurs, fishermen and tea gardens ahead of panchayat elections to be held later this year.
She also announced a hike in dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners by 3 percentage points.
She announced special projects such as ‘Bhavishyat Credit Card’ under which 2 lakh youth will be provided ₹5 lakh loan to set up micro-enterprises and create employment opportunities, ‘Rastashree’ to build around 11,500 km of rural roads and waive the agricultural income tax on tea gardens for the next two financial years.
She said an upcoming West Bengal Logistics Policy 2023 will leverage the state’s strategic position at the crossroads of South Asia and Asean nations to create a global logistics hub. “It will streamline the sector and help Bengal to secure a strategic position in the global supply chain,” Bhattacharya said.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee praised the budget, underlining that it was aimed at generating employment.
“Despite discrimination by the Centre, this state budget has tried to help all sections of the state. This budget is targeted towards the farmers and youth and is aimed towards employment generation,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee said in the assembly.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the budget falls short of what the state needs.
“The budget has no provisions to address the burning issues which the state is facing nor does it meet the aspirations of the people of the state. It reflects the bankrupt situation of the state. The budget was prepared with an eye on the panchayat polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. But it was an amateurish attempt. Important issues such as infrastructure development, industrialization and employment have been left out,” said Suvendu Adhikari, BJP legislator and leader of the opposition in the state assembly.
Adhikari was also critical of the DA hike, saying it was too little.
State government employees get around 39% less DA compared to the central government employees.
An umbrella forum of government employees has been holding protests in Kolkata for three weeks to demand a hike in DA and told the state election commission that employees will not perform poll duty unless the state raises the DA.
