Mamata Government to Present Budget on Wednesday, Focus on Women Empowerment and Welfare Schemes

Kolkata (West Bengal): The Mamata Banerjee-led government is set to present the state budget on Wednesday, with a strong emphasis on social security, welfare schemes, and women empowerment ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government considers these initiatives crucial for its electoral success.

Minister of State for Finance (Independent Charge) Chandrima Bhattacharya will present the budget for the financial year 2025-26 on Wednesday evening. Since this will be the last full budget before the 2026 elections, it is expected to include several populist schemes.

Focus on Housing and Women’s Financial Assistance
According to an official from the finance department, the budget will allocate significant funds to the ‘Banglar Bari’ housing scheme and the ‘Lakshmi Bhandar’ economic assistance scheme for women. Both schemes are expected to receive substantial allocations.

Government officials have indicated that major announcements related to infrastructure, healthcare, education, and social welfare are likely. The scope of financial aid programs for the poor is expected to expand, and there is also a possibility of an increase in dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees.

A senior TMC leader stated, “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has always focused on the development of all sections of society, particularly women’s empowerment. Direct cash transfer schemes may see an increase, and the finance department is considering raising the allowance under the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme.”

In the 2024-25 budget, an additional ₹12,000 crore was allocated for the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme, increasing the monthly stipend to ₹1,000 for general category women and ₹1,200 for women from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). This move was seen as a key strategy to attract women voters in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Women Voters Emerging as a Decisive Force in Bengal
Women voters are becoming a decisive factor in West Bengal’s elections. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the state had 3.73 crore women voters, just 1.2 million fewer than male voters (3.85 crore). Between 2019 and 2024, the number of registered women voters increased by 9.8%, prompting all political parties to focus on wooing women voters.

The TMC government has consistently prioritized welfare schemes in its budgets, and with the 2026 elections approaching, this trend is expected to intensify. The 2024-25 budget saw an 8% increase from the previous year’s ₹3.39 lakh crore. According to the 2023-24 Economic Survey, West Bengal’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) grew at 7.6%, exceeding the national average of 7.32%.

 

 

 

 

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