Page 2 - West Bengal

100 days in office: West Bengal banks on a pro-business turnaround

West Bengal's new government is betting on a pro-business approach to revive investment, but fiscal constraints and the contentious land question remain major hurdles

Ex-West Bengal deputy speaker Ashis Banerjee found dead at TMC office

Former deputy speaker of West Bengal Assembly, Ashis Banerjee, was found hanging at a TMC party office in Birbhum district on Sunday morning, police sources said. A purported suicide note was also recovered from the party office located near his residence in Hattala Para in Rampurhat, they said. Police reached the spot and sent the body for post-mortem examination. The exact circumstances leading to his death are yet to be ascertained, and police are examining the contents of the purported suicide note, the sources said. Banerjee, a veteran TMC leader, had represented Rampurhat in the state Assembly continuously from 2001 till 2026. He had served as the deputy speaker of the Assembly and held ministerial portfolios, including school education and agriculture, in the Mamata Banerjee government. He contested the 2026 Assembly elections from Rampurhat on a TMC ticket but lost to BJP's Dhruva Saha by more than 24,000 votes. After his electoral defeat, Banerjee was not seen to be ...

Bengal to roll out Ayushman Bharat scheme from Aug 16: WB Health minister

West Bengal will implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme from August 16, with around 1.5 crore families, comprising nearly six crore people, expected to be covered, West Bengal health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said on Friday, while promising a major overhaul of the state's healthcare system. Stating that the day will be observed as 'Ayushman Diwas', Mukherjee said the launch would mark a "new chapter" for the state, alleging that people had been deprived of several central welfare schemes, including Ayushman Bharat, over the past 15 years. The minister was referring to the public policies followed by the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee administration in the state. Mukherjee said the launch of the scheme would bring the people of Bengal under the same health-security framework as the rest of the country. He further clarified that those who do not meet the Centre's eligibility criteria for Ayushman Bharat would be covered by a state government's 'Mukhyamantri Swasthya ...

Best of BS Opinion: Time to rethink Tata Sons, Tata Trusts relationship

Today's pieces examine Tata Sons' governance, India's compliance maze, the next phase of GST reforms, West Bengal's investment record and a book on entrepreneurial failure

West Bengal's mega-project ambitions face old and familiar obstacles

The state could be the Bharatiya Janata Party's real test case of its business-friendly policies swot 

SC seeks status of appeals against West Bengal SIR voter deletions

The Court suggested that the existing tribunal mechanism could be improved through measures such as online access for judges

Regional stock exchange trading dried up even before Sebi pushed for exit

They accounted for less than 0.2% of cash market turnover ahead of 2012 circular

WB to link industrial incentives with job creation: Industries Min. Roy

West Bengal Industries Minister Tapas Roy on Friday said the state's proposed industrial incentive scheme will be linked to employment generation rather than investment, with a new industrial policy expected to be unveiled later this month. Addressing the business conclave 'Uttaran 2026: Bangla, Building the Next Growth', Roy said industries would be eligible for incentives based on the number of jobs they create. "We are thinking of linking incentives to employment generation rather than investment," he said. The minister said the new industrial policy is expected to be announced on August 15. The state government has earmarked Rs 5,000 crore in the 2026-27 budget to revive industrial incentives after the earlier incentive scheme was discontinued by the TMC government. The new industrial policy is expected to lay down the framework for the incentive programme and include measures to improve ease of doing business through a strengthened single-window clearance system, GIS-enabled

Sheffield of the East awaits turn of fortune as industry looks ahead

Howrah's famed foundry belt awaits a revival as industry hopes a new political climate will attract investment and restore the 'Sheffield of the East' to prominence

Adventz joins West Bengal investment advent with ₹1,700 crore push

Adventz Group will invest ₹1,700 crore in West Bengal for a wagon plant and logistics park while expanding into defence, AI, renewables and real estate

Neet protests: Bihar, Assam to withdraw all FIRs, release protesters

The move came after the CJP threatened to resume nationwide protests if the Centre failed to provide written assurances on withdrawing FIRs and ending action against demonstrators

WB invokes Goonda Act for 1st time in NEET violence, CM vows strict action

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the state had, for the first time, invoked its newly enacted anti-goonda law against those accused of orchestrating violence during Friday's NEET protest, warning they would face punishment "their next three generations will remember". Making a statement in the Assembly here on Saturday, Adhikari said around 70 people identified from the Dharmatala rally were "not students" and had no connection with the agitation over the alleged NEET paper leak. Condemning the attacks on journalists during the protest, he said the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-social Activities Act, 2026 -- popularly known as the Goonda Act -- had been invoked to ensure exemplary punishment for those responsible. "I censure the attack on our journalist friends on behalf of the entire House. An attack on journalists is unacceptable. We will take such action under the Goonda Act that these goons and even their next three generations will remember it. .

Bengal needs to plug into national economy: West Bengal FM Swapan Dasgupta

With one of the highest debt-to-gross state domestic product ratios, West Bengal has limited fiscal space, making central assistance critical

We need a big breakthrough somewhere… a big project: West Bengal FM

West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta says the state needs a breakthrough investment project to revive industry, restore investor confidence and drive economic growth

Bengal constitutes 7th Pay Commission, Atanu Chakraborty named chair

The West Bengal government on Wednesday constituted a four-member Seventh Pay Commission of the state, headed by former Union economic affairs secretary Atanu Chakraborty, a day after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced his intention to implement the panel's recommendations within the current fiscal. Acting on its pre-poll promise, the BJP Cabinet had approved the constitution of the pay commission in May, soon after the party assumed power in the state. The panel, which will review pay, allowances, service conditions and DA for state employees, has for its members -- besides Chakraborty as its chairperson -- Partha Mukhopadhyay, senior fellow at Centre for Policy Research, Partha Pratim Pal, a professor of economics at IIM Calcutta, and state finance secretary Devi Prasad Karanam, a resolution of the finance department stated. Chakraborty is a retired 1985-batch IAS officer who served as secretary in the Ministry of Finance from 2019 to 2020 and subsequently officiated as the

Govt to make all communications in Bengali from Sep 1: CM Adhikari

The West Bengal government will make all official communications in Bengali from September 1, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced in the state Assembly on Monday. He said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had, in a letter, urged him to take steps for extensive use of the Bengali language at every level of state administration. "From September 1, 2026, use of the Bengali language will be mandatory at every level of the state government," the chief minister said. "We will use Bengali in all communications with the Centre and other states," he said, adding that communications with the Union government will be in Hindi along with Bengali. Adhikari said that during Shah's three-day visit to West Bengal, the Union home minister wrote him a letter in Bengali. In it, Shah said that Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee firmly believed that Indian languages should have a proper place in the administration, education and public life. A day earlier, the Union home minis

SC seeks ECI, WB replies on plea for speedy disposal of SIR voter appeals

The apex court issued notice to the Election Commission, the West Bengal government and the state's Chief Electoral Officer on a plea seeking faster disposal of SIR voter list appeals

SC seeks replies of EC, Bengal govt on plea for SIR data transparency

The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Election Commission, the West Bengal government and the state poll panel on a PIL seeking disclosure of assembly constituency-wise data of claims and objections filed by deleted voters during the SIR process. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was hearing the plea filed by Prasenjit Bose, chairperson of the SIR Committee of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee. The petition, filed through lawyer Neha Rathi, sought assembly constituency-wise data relating to the West Bengal Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, including the number of Forms 6 and 7 filed, admitted and rejected, as well as details regarding the pendency and disposal of appeals before the appellate tribunals. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayan, appearing for Bose, said that the manner in which 18 tribunals set up to deal with the claims and objections of deleted voters are functioning is causing discrepancie

WBBSE Madhyamik Datesheet 2027 declared; check complete exam schedule here

WBBSE declared West Bengal Madhyamik datesheet 2027 on Jul 13. The exam will be held from Feb 15 to 25, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Students will be provided 15 minutes from 10.45 to 11 am

Flipkart says West Bengal to remain key investment hub as it expands biz

Flipkart on Monday said it would deepen its long-term investments in West Bengal, expanding its supply chain infrastructure, seller ecosystem and skills initiatives in the state, which houses the company's largest fulfilment centre in India. The Walmart-owned e-commerce company said West Bengal is home to its largest fulfilment and logistics hub, located at Haringhata, and remains central to its long-term growth strategy. The Haringhata campus has a storage capacity of 5 million cubic feet across six mezzanine levels and features automated storage and retrieval systems, robotic packaging arms, cross-belt sorters and a nine-kilometre conveyor network. Flipkart said the facility is the first e-commerce fulfilment centre of its scale in India to receive the Indian Green Building Council's Platinum certification. Across West Bengal, the company operates more than 300 fulfilment centres, mother hubs and last-mile delivery facilities, supporting more than 120,000 direct and indirect jobs