Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency, Kolkata: Hon'ble Speaker,
With your permission, I am presenting the interim annual financial statement for the financial year 2026-27 and the expenditure allocation for the first four months in this great House.
Hon'ble Speaker,
Keeping in mind the people-oriented and visionary vision of the Hon'ble Chief Minister, the State Government has successfully implemented various programmes and schemes despite the deprivation of the Central Government.
Through this, the State has witnessed unprecedented economic growth and development. It has also helped the State in increasing employment, eradicating poverty and increasing the per capita income of the people.
You will be happy to know that more than 1 crore 72 lakh people have been brought out of the poverty line.
According to the annual report of the Central Government's "Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)", unemployment among '15 years and above' has decreased by about 45.65 percent in 2023-24 compared to 2017-18.
The state has secured first place in the country in the production of major agricultural commodities.
Under the 'Khadyasathi' scheme, food security has been ensured for about 9 crore people of the state.
West Bengal has achieved significant success in providing quality medical services at affordable prices to its citizens. More than 2.45 crore families have been covered under the Swasthyasathi scheme and more than 1 crore beneficiaries have availed the services.
With our intensive efforts, the institutional delivery rate has increased from 68.1 percent in 2011 to 99.5 percent today. Empowerment of women, development of SC, ST, OBC and minority communities are the main pillars of the state government's efforts to spread the benefits of development among various sections of the society.
West Bengal has secured first place in the country in implementing developmental infrastructure programs in minority-dominated areas.
In this context, I would like to inform you that our government has provided security to the people of the state in terms of life and livelihood through 94 social security programs.
In this financial year, 32 lakh families have been provided with housing assistance under the Banglar Bari scheme. You will be happy to know that a total of more than 1 crore families have been provided with houses.
For the convenience of the people of the state, more than 220,000 km of roads have already been constructed under various projects and Pathashree-Rastashree under the state's own initiative. Another 30,000 km of roads are being constructed under the 'Pathashree-Rastashree' Phase-IV project.
Drinking water is very important for people. Under the Jal Swapna scheme, functional piped water connections have been provided to 1 crore households, increasing from 2 lakh in 2011.
Roads, bridges, electricity, drinking water and digital infrastructure created through important infrastructure projects have contributed significantly to the economic growth of the state.
In terms of investment, West Bengal is considered a major destination for manufacturing, tourism, services, such as IT and data centres and logistics hubs.
West Bengal has emerged as a major hub in the manufacturing of steel, cement, railway coaches, metro coaches and wagons. The state is committed to developing its cultural heritage, tribal culture and local languages, which has garnered international acclaim.
'Door to Door', 'Paray Solutio' and 'Amer Para Amer Solutio' are some of the unique initiatives of the state. In these, people's participation has created special enthusiasm and excitement. Through this, the state has been able to effectively reach various services to the people.
You will be happy to know that following the guiding principles of the Hon'ble Chief Minister, the state's economy, in terms of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), is set to grow 5 times compared to 2010-11 and reach Rs. 21.48 lakh crore in 2026-27.
In this context, it is noteworthy that more than 25 lakh jobs have been created in the state through the private sector, government sector and self-employment.
Hon'ble Speaker,
With your permission, I will start reading directly from Section 4 (Page 121) assuming that the Interim Budget Statement has been read up to page 120.
Hon'ble Speaker,
Our government's programmes and schemes are driven by the fundamental principle of inclusive development for all - so that sustainable economic growth can be achieved following the ideals of Hon'ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Hon'ble Speaker,
Women empowerment is a major pillar of West Bengal's governance development efforts. An annual allocation of Rs. 26,700 crore has been made for 2.21 crore women under the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme and over Rs. 78,500 crore has been spent on this scheme so far.