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Union Budget 2026-27 presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman connected Sunday (February 1, 2026) fell abbreviated of expectations of the radical of canvass bound West Bengal.
The Finance Minister announced that 1 of the “High-Speed Rail corridors” betwixt cities arsenic “growth connectors” volition link Varanasi successful Uttar Pradesh to Siliguri successful West Bengal. The Budget besides announced a caller dedicated freight corridor connecting Dankuni successful the East, to Surat successful the West.
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Ms. Sitharaman successful her Budget code besides emphasised connected “Purvodaya” and projected the improvement of an integrated East Coast Industrial Corridor with a well-connected node astatine Durgapur successful South Bengal. The inaugural has projected instauration of 5 tourism destinations successful the 5 Purvodaya States, and the proviso of 4,000 e-buses.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Budget had thing to connection to radical of the State. “It is directionless, visionless, ngo less, and actionless. The system is derailed. The fund is anti-poor, anti-youth, anti-women, and anti-farmer. The fund is anti-SC, ST, and OBC,” she said.
Ms. Banerjee said that the freight corridor from Dankuni that has been mentioned successful this Budget was announced by her during the 2009 Railway Budget. “There, I mentioned Dankuni to Amritsar. It has been pending for much than 15 years,” she said. The Chief Minister besides referred to the markets reacting negatively to the Budget.
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Speaking successful a akin vein, Trinamool Congress wide caput Abhishek Banerjee said that successful her full code Ms. Sitharaman did not notation to West Bengal adjacent once. “There is thing for Bengal successful the 85-minute fund speech. The Finance Minister mentioned that a NIMHANS institute volition beryllium formed. One already exists successful Bengaluru, and 2 much volition beryllium acceptable up successful Jharkhand and Assam. This means that anyone from Bengal seeking attraction astatine NIMHANS volition person to question to Assam oregon Jharkhand, arsenic nary institute is being created successful Bengal,” helium said.
Principal Chief Advisor to Chief Minister and Finance Department of West Bengal Amit Mitra besides held a property league and said that the NDA authorities has reduced budgetary allocation connected education, subsidy connected fertilisers and allocation for payment of SC, ST, OBC and Minorities. Mr. Mitra said that the allocation for acquisition ideally should person been 6% of full expenditure but successful world it has declined from 3.8 % successful 2015-16 to 2.60 % successful the existent Budget estimates.
The BJP enactment successful West Bengal said that the infrastructure propulsion done obstruction and freight corridors volition propulsion system of the State. BJP MLA and economist Ashok Lahiri held a property league and pointed retired the Budget announcement of an ‘East Coast Industrial Corridor’ with a well-connected node astatine Durgapur successful West Bengal is tribute to erstwhile Chief Minister of West Bengal Bidhan Chandra Roy.
Mr. Lahiri said that helium is not amazed by Ms. Banerjee’s remarks and asked whether her authorities has immoderate program for the improvement of the State. “Union Budget is for the wide improvement of the country,” helium said.
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Leader of Opposition successful West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said that projected Dedicated Freight Corridor from Dankuni to Surat and high-speed obstruction corridor from Varanasi to Siliguri volition importantly heighten the imaginable for industrialisation successful West Bengal.
Elections successful West Bengal are scheduled successful the adjacent fewer months and investments, manufacture and jobs are going to beryllium salient issues successful the Assembly polls.
