Centre to work with West Bengal to review reach of key welfare schemes 

With a new government in place in West Bengal, the central government is planning a comprehensive review of financial inclusion initiatives and the utilisation of various welfare schemes in the state. 

According to sources, the Union Finance Ministry will work closely with the West Bengal government to assess the performance of flagship schemes of the central government, such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and the Swavalamban Yojana. It will also review the extent of beneficiary coverage and determine whether these schemes have achieved saturation through 100% enrolment of eligible beneficiaries. 

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The finance ministry is also expected to hold meetings with banks on their performance in West Bengal, review the performance of regional rural banks in the state as well as credit offtake. “Till now, West Bengal has not been participating. The effort will be to see how the state is doing,” said a source close to the development. 

 The Centre is also expected to review the utilisation of the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) by West Bengal. “While one hears of what other states have been doing using these funds, there has been little information from West Bengal,” said the source. 

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Under the SASCI Scheme, the Centre provides 50-year interest-free loans to states to fund capital expenditure. 

Suvendu Adhikari, the newly elected chief minister of West Bengal, had on June 8 met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. “During the meeting, they discussed ways to accelerate West Bengal’s development journey. The issue of credit availability in the state across various sectors and the implementation of Central government schemes were discussed,” said an official release. 

The finance minister said that, in close coordination with the state government, a renewed saturation drive of flagship schemes will be undertaken to cover every eligible beneficiary under these schemes, it had further said. 

West Bengal is also reportedly working on a white paper on the state’s debt position. The state’s finances remain under strain, with the fiscal deficit estimated at 3.9% of GSDP in FY25 and the debt-to-GSDP ratio at around 38%.