KOLKATA: The BJP-led government in West Bengal has proposed a substantial reduction in funding for the Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education Department in its first full state budget for the financial year 2026-27.
Presenting the budget in the state assembly, Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta announced an allocation of ₹2,165.42 crore for the department.
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The proposed allocation marks a sharp decline from the ₹5,713 crore earmarked in the vote-on-account budget presented by the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in February this year.
The reduction comes amid the BJP’s longstanding criticism of the Mamata Banerjee-led administration’s spending on the Minority Affairs Department. The party had repeatedly alleged that the previous government’s allocations reflected a policy of appeasement, making the department’s budget a recurring subject of political debate in the state.
The latest allocation signals a significant shift in the state’s budgetary priorities under the new government. Further details on the programmes and schemes affected by the revised funding are expected to emerge during the budget discussions.
The proposed budget will now be taken up for debate and approval in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
