Bengal’s cabinet has approved a new industry policy that is expected to fast-track clearances for industrial projects requiring more than 100 acres, while imposing tighter conditions on how land is allocated and used. The policy will be formally unveiled on November 5, according to the state government.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said the policy had been discussed at the previous cabinet meeting and was approved after recommendations from two ministers serving on the Group of Ministers that framed it. Finance minister Swapan Dasgupta and industry minister Tapas Roy were credited with contributing to the final draft.
“The industry policy was discussed at the previous cabinet meeting. Recommendations from two ministers who were part of the Group of Ministers constituted to frame the policy were incorporated,” Adhikari said. He added that he had not substantially interfered in the formulation of the policy.
According to sources at Nabanna, the policy is expected to provide incentives to investors and streamline industrial clearances through a single-window system. It is also expected to introduce conditions governing the allocation and use of land for industrial projects, making land utilisation a central part of the state’s investment framework.
One provision under consideration could require industries to begin production within three years of receiving land. If a project fails to meet that condition, the land allotment could be cancelled and the land reclaimed, the sources said. The final provisions will be known only when the policy is formally released.
The proposed framework places two administrative priorities alongside the effort to attract large industrial projects: reducing the time required for approvals and preventing industrial land from remaining unused after allotment. The policy’s operation will depend on the final rules for clearances, incentives, land conditions and enforcement, which have not yet been disclosed.
Industry representatives have been invited to Nabanna for the November 5 launch. The state government is presenting the policy as a key part of its effort to improve Bengal’s investment climate and bring in large-scale industrial projects. The announcement comes as the cabinet also approved recruitment for around 1,200 new posts across five departments.
The new posts will be created in animal resources development, urban development and municipal affairs, health and family welfare, fire and emergency services, and home and hill affairs. Adhikari said recruitment notifications would be issued soon, with examinations conducted through the Public Service Commission and the Staff Selection Commission.
He said the cabinet had approved around 45,000 posts at its previous meeting and that the total number of posts cleared for recruitment across cabinet meetings had reached approximately 60,000. The state government did not provide a department-wise timeline for filling the latest posts.
The cabinet also directed the finance department to release the next instalment of budgetary funds to administrative departments that have spent at least 70% of their allocations on public welfare schemes. Separately, financial assistance under the Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, renamed from the earlier Krishak Bandhu scheme, is scheduled to be transferred to farmers on November 5. The programme in Pursurah, Hooghly, is expected to cover more than 50 lakh registered farmers.
The industry policy’s final text and implementation details are expected to be made public at the November 5 launch at Nabanna, where the government has invited industry representatives.
