Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attended the NITI Aayog's governing council meeting on Thursday, marking the first time in two years that a representative from the state participated in such a gathering. During the meeting, he highlighted the "infirmities" of Bengal and emphasized the need for additional support for the state. Adhikari also announced that Bengal will begin working on district-based GDP estimation.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan, saw Adhikari discussing how development had taken a backseat in Bengal during the 34 years of Communist Party of India (Marxist) rule and the subsequent 15 years of Trinamool Congress governance. He pointed out that Bengal had lagged behind in terms of growth compared to other states.
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairperson Ashok Lahiri told the media, "Adhikari indicated in the meeting that because of the history of Bengal, he may need more support for the state. But there was no elaborate discussion." Lahiri added that Adhikari did not make any specific demand during the meeting.
Bengal's interim budget for 2026-27, presented before the election by the previous Trinamool government, projected the state's accumulated debt to rise to more than Rs 8.15 lakh crore by the end of the current financial year. The budget also estimated a fiscal deficit of around Rs 62,423 crore and a revenue deficit of about Rs 21,759 crore, indicating a strain on the state's finances.
Adhikari also announced that Bengal will compile district-based GDP numbers, following Prime Minister Modi's recent call for states to focus on this. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation finalized guidelines for such compilation. District-wise GDP estimation helps track districts that are growing and aspirational.
Meanwhile, NITI Aayog is working on a blueprint for the long-term economic and industrial rejuvenation of Bengal. It is identifying key growth-driving sectors and strategic reforms that the state government will start implementing. Sources said the policy think tank is focusing on dedicated modernization packages, branding support, export facilitation, and technology upgradation initiatives to help rejuvenate industries in Bengal. It is also exploring the potential of sector-specific industrial ecosystems such as textile parks, engineering parks, MSME clusters, logistics parks, food processing parks, and electronics manufacturing clusters.
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