Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari to chair key cabinet meet today: Here’s what’s on the agenda
The Statesman | 18 May 2026
The second cabinet meeting of the new West Bengal government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is set to take place on Monday amid growing expectations over key decisions linked to Dearness Allowance arrears, state finances and reforms in the higher education sector. With the Bharatiya Janata Party government geared up to deliver on major election promises, the meeting is expected to focus on long-pending employee demands and efforts to overhaul the admission system in colleges and universities across the state.
Officials in the state secretariat said some of the most closely watched discussions would revolve around the payment of Dearness Allowances to state government employees at par with Central government staff, an issue that had triggered years of confrontation between employees and the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government.
According to media reports, the cabinet is expected to deliberate on the mechanism for releasing the upfront payment of 25 per cent of DA arrears accumulated between 2008 and 2019.
The issue gained fresh urgency after the Supreme Court directed the West Bengal government to clear 25 per cent of the dues by March 31, 2026. The previous administration, however, had not implemented the payment despite prolonged legal battles and protests by employees.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had also assured state government employees in its Sankalp Patra that steps would be taken to resolve the DA dispute if voted to power in Bengal.
Officials indicated that discussions may include the financial roadmap for executing the payment without placing excessive strain on the state exchequer.
Another major issue expected to come up before the cabinet is the admission process in undergraduate courses across state-run and state-aided colleges and universities.
Reports suggest the government is preparing a policy framework aimed at ensuring complete transparency and merit-based admissions while reducing the role of political influence on campuses.
The proposed reforms are expected to target alleged interference by students’ wings affiliated with different political parties during the admission process, an issue that has frequently sparked controversy in Bengal’s higher education institutions.