West Bengal Minister of State for Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya presented the state Budget at the Assembly today. The state government focused heavily on welfare schemes, salaries, pensions, and infrastructure schemes and initiatives, among several other announcements.
Following the presentation, former state Finance Minister and Special Advisor to the Chief Minister on Finance, Dr. Amit Mitra, talked about the nuances of this year's state Budget, the last one before West Bengal goes into polls this year.
What did Dr. Amit Mitra say?
Dr. Mitra said the budget size has increased nearly five times from around Rs. 84,000 crore in 2010-11, to more than Rs. 4 lakh crore this year.
"The state's own tax collection has risen 5.4 times to an estimated Rs. 1,18,669 crore in the current budget from Rs. 21,129 crore in 2010-11, while the nominal Gross State Domestic Product is projected to grow four times over the same period," he said.
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The West Bengal government has allocated Rs. 4,214.10 crore for Irrigation and Waterways, Rs. 5,343.59 crore for Power, and Rs. 7,133 crore for Public Works (PWD) in the 2026-27 financial year.
Industry expert weighs in on West Bengal Budget
Mr. Mahesh Agarwal, Managing Director, Purti Realty said on the West Bengal Budget, "This Budget clearly shows the government's intent to upgrade West Bengal's cities in a planned and people-friendly way."
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Mr. Agarwal highlighted that investments in developing road infrastructure will enhance the quality of living in urban areas. "Investments in roads, flyovers, water supply, power, and affordable housing will directly improve daily urban life. From a real estate perspective, better connectivity and stronger municipal infrastructure make it easier to plan quality residential and mixed-use projects. These measures will reduce pressure on overcrowded city centres and support growth in new urban pockets."
"Overall, the Budget creates confidence for developers to invest long-term and contribute to building safer, more organised and sustainable cities across West Bengal," he concluded.
