The West Bengal government has announced a 20% increase in dearness allowance for state government employees and pensioners, according to a PTI report. Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta announced that DA for state government employees and DR for pensioners would be raised by 20 percentage points from October 1, taking it to 38 per cent. This move reduces the gap between the DA received by state government employees and their central government counterparts by 22 percentage points, addressing a long-standing demand by government employees under the previous regime. The enhanced DA will provide significant monthly benefits across different salary brackets - employees with ₹20,000 basic pay will receive ₹7,600 DA (₹4,000 increase), those with ₹30,000 basic pay will get ₹11,400 DA (₹6,000 increase), and employees with ₹75,000 basic pay will receive ₹28,500 DA (₹15,000 increase). The increased DA will be implemented with effect from October 1, 2026, bringing state government employees closer to the levels enjoyed by central government employees.
The state government has committed to filling 100,000 government vacancies as part of its employment generation strategy, as reported by PTI. The positions include 20,000 posts in the police and 50,000 teaching and non-teaching positions in schools, to be filled in phases. 33 per cent of the jobs would be reserved for women, while 10 per cent reservation would be provided for Agniveers wherever applicable. The upper age limit for government recruitment, already relaxed by five years, would continue for the next two years. Additionally, the budget speech announced the proposed restart of the Calcutta Stock Exchange, marking a significant step toward financial market development in the state.
The budget allocated ₹36,000 crore for the Annapurna Yojana, under which women in the 25-60 age group will receive direct financial assistance in their bank accounts. Additionally, ₹550 crore was earmarked for free bus travel for women, with a 'Pink Card' system to be introduced shortly for availing the benefit. The government also increased the MLA Local Area Development Fund from ₹70 lakh to ₹1 crore. Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta emphasized that all existing social welfare schemes would continue, with the objective being to ensure benefits reach the weakest sections of society.
Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta revealed that the BJP government has inherited a debt burden of ₹8.15 trillion from the previous administration. As reported by PTI, Dasgupta emphasized that restoring fiscal discipline and public confidence in governance would be among his priorities. The minister noted that the government's development vision was aligned with the national goal of Viksit Bharat, with people expecting transparency about the state's finances. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has committed to implementing the 7th Pay Commission recommendations by January 2027, according to Bhaskar Ghosh, convenor of the Joint Struggle Forum of State Government Employees. The state government approved formation of the 7th state pay commission in May 2026 to decide salary and DA hikes for state government employees, educational institutions, government corporations, and state-aided bodies.
The budget announced several other welfare initiatives including a monthly hike of ₹5,000 for anganwadi and ASHA workers. Civic volunteers, Green Police personnel, NVF workers, Prani Bandhu and Prani Mitra workers will receive an additional ₹2,000 per month from August. The budget also proposed a monthly pension of ₹5,000 for retired journalists and ₹10,000 for individuals who spent time in jail due to what the government described as politically motivated or false cases. Additionally, the budget outlined infrastructure projects including an elevated corridor connecting Chingrighata and New Town in Kolkata, a deep-sea port at Dadanpatrabar and a four-lane bridge over the Mayurakshi river in Birbhum. A Tribal University will be set up in Jhargram, while an Artificial Intelligence Mission will be launched to promote emerging technologies.
