West Bengal has announced 14,454 government vacancies, higher allowances for temporary sanitation workers and expanded education support ahead of Durga Puja, alongside a new emergency response number and additional vehicles for the state police.
The announcements were made by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari after a state Cabinet meeting at Nabanna on Monday, according to The Statesman. The recruitment process is expected to be completed within six to eight months through the Public Service Commission and the Police Recruitment Board.
The vacancies will cover several departments, including forests, fire services, prisons, home affairs and hill affairs. The government said the appointments would be carried out through the relevant recruitment bodies, with the timeline extending into the months after the festival season.
The announcements also included a pay increase for Karmabandhus, sanitation workers under the Land and Land Reforms Department. Their monthly allowance will rise from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000, with the revised amount payable from October, Adhikari said.
The decision directly affects a category of temporary workers involved in sanitation-related duties within the department. The announcement did not specify the total number of workers covered or the additional annual expenditure involved.
West Bengal will launch the emergency response number 112 on October 10, coinciding with Mahalaya. The number is intended to provide an integrated channel for emergency assistance, although the supplied report does not provide details about the operating model, staffing arrangements or the services that will be integrated.
On the same day, 400 vehicles and 450 motorcycles will be handed over to police stations at an event at Brigade Parade Ground. The additional vehicles are expected to strengthen the mobility of police units, but the government has not provided a station-wise deployment plan or details of the procurement cost.
Appointment letters will be issued to around 12,000 recruits in the first batch of state police appointments on October 11, the chief minister said. The first-batch figure forms part of the wider recruitment announcement covering 14,454 posts across state departments.
The Cabinet decisions also increased the food allowance for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students living in government hostels. The allocation will rise from Rs 1,800 to Rs 3,300 per student. The report does not state whether the revised amount will apply from the current academic session or provide the number of hostel residents who will benefit.
In another education measure, the government announced the Bhagini Nivedita Scheme for higher education. Under the scheme, unmarried women pursuing higher studies will receive total financial assistance of Rs 50,000 over three years. Details on eligibility, application procedures, the number of beneficiaries and the implementing department were not provided in the announcement.
The government said further measures would be taken in the coming months to strengthen employment and public services across the state. The immediate milestones announced are the launch of emergency number 112 on October 10, the police vehicle handover on the same day and the issue of appointment letters to the first batch of police recruits on October 11.
