Kolkata to get 2nd airport, 3 new airfields proposed in West Bengal's 1st BJP budget
Times of India | 22 June 2026
KOLKATA: Signalling a major aviation and infrastructure push, the BJP government's maiden budget in West Bengal on Monday unveiled plans for a second airport serving the Kolkata region, with finance minister Swapan Dasgupta announcing that 1,000 acres would be identified in Kalyani for a greenfield airport to ease congestion at Kolkata airport.
Presenting the 2026-27 budget in the Assembly, Dasgupta said the proposed airport would form part of a broader effort to strengthen connectivity across the state.
He also announced that new airports would be developed in Purulia, Balurghat and Malda under the Centre's UDAAN scheme, while the existing airport at Cooch Behar would be expanded.
The finance minister outlined several other infrastructure and development initiatives, including plans to establish IIT and IIM campuses in north Bengal and fill 20,000 vacancies in the state police force.
Alongside the infrastructure announcements, the government earmarked Rs 36,000 crore for Annapurna Yojana, the revamped version of the erstwhile Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. Budget estimates indicate the allocation would cover around one crore women beneficiaries receiving Rs 3,000 per month.
The projected beneficiary base is substantially lower than the approximately 2.4 crore women covered under the Trinamool Congress government's flagship Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. Introduced in 2021, the programme became one of the most popular welfare initiatives of the Mamata Banerjee administration.
The BJP, which had promised to continue direct financial assistance to women while restructuring the scheme, renamed it Annapurna Yojana after coming to power. Government sources said revised eligibility norms and stricter verification measures have been introduced to ensure benefits reach eligible recipients and to eliminate duplication. According to the government, around 30 lakh beneficiaries have already been removed following verification exercises.
Dasgupta said the government remained committed to welfare spending while improving the state's finances. He told the Assembly that the BJP administration had inherited a debt burden of Rs 8.15 lakh crore but would pursue fiscal prudence without compromising on key welfare commitments.