Biswa Bangla stores set for ‘Paschim Banga’ rebranding
Times of India | 25 August 2026
Kolkata: The state’s iconic souvenir outlets, Biswa Bangla stores, a flagship initiative of the erstwhile Trinamool Congress dispensation, is set for a rebranding under the BJP govt. The administration is planning to replace the words ‘Biswa Bangla’ with ‘Paschim Banga’ and a new logo is expected to be released within weeks, sources said.
The Biswa Bangla logo has already been taken down at many stores and is covered with stickers at several others, the sources said.
Soon after assuming office, the Suvendu Adhikari-led govt started removing the Biswa Bangla logo from govt websites, official communication and public infrastructure, replacing it in several places with the national emblem, Ashoka Stambh.
The govt has repeatedly laid emphasis on the name ‘Paschim Banga’. Reacting to attempts by the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee-led govt to change the name of the state to ‘Bangla’, CM Adhikari said earlier this month that he had no intention to fiddle with the history and heritage associated with ‘Paschim Banga’.
Sources said an internal communication on the rebranding of Biswa Bangla has been issued. An employee at a store said, “The change in name and logo will entail a packaging overhaul.”
Biswa Bangla was conceptualised during the TMC regime as a govt-backed retail platform to showcase Bengal’s cultural heritage, such as handloom and handicraft.
Over the years, the outlets became popular among NRIs and visitors from other states looking for authentic Bengal products. As CM, Mamata would almost always welcome state guests with gifts from Biswa Bangla stores.
The stores, promoted by the state MSME & textiles department, stock a wide range of products made by artisans from across Bengal, including handloom saris, kantha embroidery, Baluchari silk, Dokra metalwork and heritage food products such as tea and sweets.
The chain has nine stores in the city, including on Park Street and at Dakshinapan, airport, City Centre Salt Lake and Alipore Jail Museum. Outside Kolkata, there are outlets in New Delhi (on Baba Kharak Singh Marg) and Darjeeling town, and also at the Bagdogra airport.
The chain’s first store was opened on Sept 16, 2013.
Biswa Bangla’s logo, designed around a Bengali consonant, became ubiquitous across govt websites, infrastructure projects, official correspondence and beautification initiatives of the previous administration.
Within weeks of BJP taking over Bengal’s reins, the logo began disappearing from govt platforms and public infrastructure.
The state govt portal — Egiye Bangla — also underwent a transformation. The Biswa Bangla logo was replaced by the national emblem and the portal’s colour scheme, too, was changed.
The Biswa Bangla logo had been embroiled in a political controversy in 2017, when then BJP MLA Mukul Roy alleged that it was privately owned by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Abhishek denied the allegation and sent a legal notice to Roy.
Mamata, then CM, subsequently told the assembly that she had created the logo and allowed the state govt to use it without charging any royalty.