West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta during a press conference after the presentation of the first Budget of the BJP government in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, in Kolkata, Monday, June 22 (Source: PTI)

Bengal’s BJP govt cuts funds for minority affairs, madrasas

The government earmarked Rs 2,165 crore for the department, against the Rs 5,713 crore provided in the last budget presented by the TMC.

by · The Siasat Daily

Kolkata: The newly elected West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on Monday, June 22, announced a significant budget cut of over 50 per cent for the Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education Department. The fund allocation was reduced from the earlier Rs 5,713 crore to Rs 2,165 crore. 

Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta presented a Rs 4.38 lakh crore budget for 2026-27, the first full-fledged financial statement of the BJP government that assumed office in May after ending the 15-year rule of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The TMC government had presented a Rs 4.06 lakh crore vote-on-account budget in February.

Declaring a sharp cut in the Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education Department funds, the state government earmarked Rs 2,165 crore for the department, against the Rs 5,713 crore provided in the last budget presented by the TMC dispensation.

In contrast, the education sector saw a series of announcements, including a Tribal University, women’s universities in Contai, Kaliachak and Falta, two Kendriya Vidyalayas in Jhargram, a proposed IIT and IIM in North Bengal, and a state Artificial Intelligence Mission. The budget also proposed a sports university, an international-standard stadium in North Bengal and mini-indoor stadiums across districts.

(With inputs from PTI)