West Bengal Budget Live: 1 lakh vacancies in govt jobs to be filled, ₹36,000 cr for Annapurna scheme; ₹14,000 cr for GRAMG scheme; 20% DA hike and more

West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta presents the state's first full budget for FY 2026-27 in the assembly, in Kolkata on Monday. | Photo Credit: ANI

West Bengal Budget 2026 Live Updates: Stay updated with the latest announcements from the West Bengal Budget 2026, live updates on infrastructure spending, employment measures, agriculture support, industrial policy and fiscal targets.

Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta said his government has inherited a debt burden of Rs 8.15 lakh crore from the previous administration, asserting that restoring fiscal discipline and public confidence in governance would be among his priorities.

“Building a corruption-free administrative structure is a cornerstone of our vision. We have to restore people’s trust in governance,” he said.

Dasgupta said 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.

The move narrows the gap between the DA received by state government employees and their central government counterparts by 22 percentage points, a politically significant announcement as government employees had long agitated over the issue under the previous regime.

Before presenting the budget, Dasgupta and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari participated in a brief prayer ceremony in the assembly premises.

“We have prepared this budget drawing inspiration from awakened national strength,” Dasgupta said.

He announced that 1 lakh vacancies, including 20,000 posts in the police and 50,000 teaching and non-teaching positions in schools, would be filled in phases.

He said 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,” he added.

“Our objective is to ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach the weakest sections of society. Necessary reforms will be undertaken wherever required,” he said.