Kolkata, Feb. 21 -- Despite the Central government's relentless "non-cooperation" and blocking of funds, the Mamata Banerjee government successfully continues to focus on the infrastructure development and human resources development without hampering the social security schemes. Budgetary allocation in social security schemes in Bengal increased 14 times under the Mamata Banerjee government in the past 13 years.
State Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya in her concluding Budget speech in the Assembly on Thursday once again highlighted how the state government, despite the huge challenge posed by the Centre, has ensured an exponential growth in various sectors. The direction of the state Budget this year sets an example. The Budget was prepared aiming to further boost the infrastructure sector as well as human resources with the social security schemes getting equal importance, Bhattacharya had said.
The minister also pointed out that the state government has always given special emphasis on women security and social welfare. The capital expenditure has gone up manifold by the Mamata Banerjee government ever since it came to power. Earlier, during her Budget speech, Finance minister Bhattacharya said that Bengal's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) had grown by 6.8 per cent in 2024-25, outpacing India's overall growth rate of 6.37 per cent. Bengal's economy has shown "resilience" across all three sectors - agriculture, industry and services - surpassing national figures, the finance minister had also claimed. The industrial sector registered a growth of 7.3 per cent, significantly higher than India's 6.2 per cent.
Approximately 12.6 million students have received assistance under 'Sabuj Saathi' scheme, which provides bicycles to school students, with an expenditure of Rs 4,600 crore. Under the 'Lakshmi Bhandar' scheme, financial support of Rs 1,000 per month is provided to women, while those from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes receive Rs 1,200 per month. Kanyashree, Sabuj Saathi, Aikyaashree: Various schemes aimed at supporting girls' education, minority welfare and other social initiatives were also highlighted in the Budget document.
Bhattacharya presented Bengal's Rs 3.89 lakh crore Budget for 2025-26 with a strong emphasis on social welfare and rural infrastructure. Agriculture and allied sectors grew by 4.2 per cent, compared to India's 3.8 per cent.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.