Budget Session of West Bengal Assembly likely from February 5

KOLKATA: The Budget Session of the West Bengal Assembly is likely to resume from February 5 and might continue till February 17.

The state’s budget proposals this year, according to sources in the know of things, might include some additional welfare schemes targeting women and the youth.

“As usual the Budget Session will begin with the speech of the Governor. Communication between the state Parliamentary Affairs Department and the office of Governor CV Ananda Bose in the matter has already started,” said a senior official of the department.

However, he added, it is yet to be decided whether it will be a full-budget or an interim one.

“Because of the Lok Sabha elections this year, the Union Government will have to present just an interim budget in Parliament before the elections this year. However, the state governments have the liberty to choose whether they will be presenting a full budget or an interim budget before the Lok Sabha polls,” the official pointed out.

As per records, before the last Lok Sabha polls in 2019, the-then state Finance Minister Amit Mitra presented an interim budget and after the polls were over he presented a full budget.

However, then the interim Budget Session was just for three days. So considering a 12-day schedule has been fixed for the session next month, it can be expected that a full budget will be presented this time.

Financial observers feel that in case of a full-budget the focus this year will be on two things. The first will be on whether the West Bengal Government will propose some alternative avenues to boost the state’s own tax revenue besides the state excise and the second will be on the probable measures to ease the burden of huge accumulated debt.