Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level review meeting in Kolkata with West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Suvendu Adhikari, state cabinet members, and senior officials, resulting in major development announcements for the state.
The central government has cleared bottlenecks for 19 major infrastructure projects worth over ₹82,000 crore across roads and highways, railways, metro, petroleum & natural gas, coal, and labour sectors. These projects had been stalled due to issues with land acquisition, rehabilitation & resettlement, utility shifting, forest clearances, and inter-departmental coordination. The Minister directed concerned ministries, state government, district administration, and implementing agencies to ensure coordinated and time-bound action for expedited implementation. He suggested establishing a State-level Project Monitoring Group (State PMG) in West Bengal to strengthen project monitoring and accelerate development projects.
For rural development, the Central Government has approved ₹8,508 crore for West Bengal, which combined with the state's share creates total resources exceeding ₹12,064 crore to be channeled directly through Panchayats until March 31. This funding will support employment generation and comprehensive rural development under the VB-G RAM G Framework, which aims to move beyond 100 days of employment toward 125 days of employment for greater income security. The framework emphasizes creating durable rural assets including roads, ponds, minor irrigation infrastructure, schools, and Anganwadi buildings.
Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, one lakh rural houses have received interim approval for West Bengal. The deadline for beneficiary surveys has been extended to August 15 due to heavy rainfall preventing completion within the scheduled timeline. Officials were directed to expedite both beneficiary surveys and physical verification simultaneously, with house allotments to commence immediately upon verification completion.
Women's Self-Help Groups will receive enhanced financial support of ₹295 crore under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana, comprising ₹245 crore in bank credit and ₹50 crore under the Community Investment Fund. This assistance aims to strengthen women's participation in production, processing, value addition, and marketing activities.
Agricultural initiatives include integrating Malda into the national Clean Plant network with a proposed facility focusing on disease-free, high-quality planting material for mango, litchi, and other fruit crops. Financial assistance of up to ₹3 crore for large nurseries and ₹1.5 crore for medium-sized nurseries will support a modern nursery ecosystem. West Bengal will be developed as the Seed Hub of Eastern India, with MoUs already signed for production of potato seed, hybrid maize seed, and seeds of other crops. Special projects have been approved for rice-growing regions to strengthen nutrition, value chains, and processing infrastructure, along with projects for orchid cultivation and horticulture.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research, State Agricultural Universities, and agricultural scientists are preparing a scientific Agriculture Roadmap for West Bengal that will identify region-specific crop planning based on agro-climatic conditions, soil characteristics, water availability, and local resources. Efforts are underway to develop rice research institutions into Centres of Excellence.
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana will be expanded to cover more farmers in West Bengal for protection against crop losses from natural calamities. Village-level camps will be organized in collaboration with NABARD and banks to expand Kisan Credit Card coverage, ensuring farmers receive affordable institutional credit. Additional initiatives including the National Mission on Natural Farming, PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, Digital Agritech, and nutrition enhancement programmes will further transform the state's agricultural landscape.