West Bengal
With the Himalayas to the north, and the Bay of Bengal to the south, West Bengal is the largest and most economically important state in eastern India. Although it was once one of the richest and most industrialized states in India, decades of left-wing government largely succeeded in driving out international investors. Under the stable government of Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal is seeking to attract investment once again while hanging on to its leftist bona fides.
State Policies
Solar Policy: Policy on Co-Generation and Generation of Electricity from Renewable Sources of Energy
Electric Mobility Policy: Electric Vehicle Policy (2021)
Industry Policy: Investment and Industrial Policy (2013)
State Summary
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Size
34,267 sq. miles -
Population
91.3 million -
State GDP
$109.21 billion (USD) -
Legislative Assembly Seats
294
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Rajya Sabha Seats
16 -
Lok Sabha Seats
42 -
Party Affiliation
All India Trinamool Congress (Trinamool)
Climate Change
Subsectors
Recent Articles
West Bengal orders all vehicles older than 15 years to be phased out within the next six months
Posted on August 10, 2022
West Bengal exempts registration fees, motor vehicles taxes and additional taxes for two and four wheeled electric vehicles of all categories of CNG-operated vehicles from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2024
Posted on June 1, 2022
Energy
India faces a complex energy challenge: it needs cheap and abundant energy to power high economic growth and lift its citizens into the middle class. But it also hopes to keep its commitments to the U.N. Climate Change Convention and achieve energy independence. India’s states have the resources to generate the energy India needs, but they take different approaches to fostering the growth of the industry. This section allows you to explore energy news from India’s states and offers the Wadhwani Chair’s analysis of India’s energy sector.
Subsectors
Coal • Energy Efficiency • Energy-related Transportation • Nuclear • Oil and Gas • Power •Recent Articles
West Bengal orders all vehicles older than 15 years to be phased out within the next six months
Posted on August 10, 2022
West Bengal signs a lease agreement for exploration and mining of shale gas with Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd (GEECL)
Posted on June 29, 2022
West Bengal exempts registration fees, motor vehicles taxes and additional taxes for two and four wheeled electric vehicles of all categories of CNG-operated vehicles from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2024
Posted on June 1, 2022
Related National Goals
U.S.–India Energy Cooperation Project Tracker — There is currently no data available for . (updated July 3, 2019)
Solar Performance Tracker — West Bengal reaches 179.83 MW (updated March 31, 2021)
Wind Performance Tracker — West Bengal achieves 0 MW (updated March 30, 2021)
Health
While India’s healthcare system is expansive in terms of the number of beneficiaries covered, inequalities in access to high-quality yet affordable care continue to plague delivery systems and push citizens towards the more unregulated private sector. Similarly, while India’s National Health Policy of 2017 promises to reform this system, the responsibility to institute those reforms falls to the states who each have their own unique challenges and opportunities to meet the healthcare needs of their people. This section allows you to explore emerging healthcare policies and news covering new initiatives from India’s states and offers the Wadhwani Chair’s analysis of India’s healthcare sector.
Recent Articles
West Bengal returns Ayushman Bharat funds
Posted on April 3, 2019The West Bengal government announced it has returned $23.3 million it received from the center as part of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). The decision came after the National Health Authority wrote the state government asking it to return the money following its decision to withdraw from PMJAY.
Center asks West Bengal to return funds for Ayushman Bharat
Posted on February 27, 2019The center has asked the West Bengal government to return the $27.16 million it had received for the central government’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance program, along with any interest earned, following the state’s withdrawal from the program.
CM Banerjee pulls West Bengal out of Ayushman Bharat
Posted on January 16, 2019West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the state has pulled out of the center’s Ayushman Bharat program, accusing the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government of making “tall claims” under the health coverage program.
West Bengal to merge state's insurance scheme with Ayushman Bharat
Posted on October 24, 2018The West Bengal government has decided to merge the state’s Swasthya Sathi scheme with the center’s health insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or Ayushman Bharat.
Industrial Policy and Business Regulations
Subsectors
Recent Articles
West Bengal notifies guidelines on fares, surge pricing, and penalty on ad hoc canceling of cab rides by application-based cab services
Posted on March 9, 2022
West Bengal launches three new online services to improve the ease of doing business within the state
Posted on August 24, 2021
In Detail: Online Trade License System , Online Building Plan Approval System
Infrastructure and Governance
Subsectors
Recent Articles
West Bengal approves setting up 18 industrial units and 5 new industrial parks in the state under its Scheme for Approved Industrial Park 2020.
Posted on August 24, 2022
West Bengal and Kerala top the literacy and numeracy index in the large and small state categories
Posted on December 22, 2021
Mamata Banerjee is sworn in as the chief minister of West Bengal for the third consecutive term
Posted on May 12, 2021
Land & Labor Laws
Subsectors
Recent Articles
Water & Sanitation
Subsectors
Recent Articles
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