West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday, 5 November 2026, unveiled the state's new industrial policy in Kolkata, announcing a comprehensive package of incentives designed to attract fresh investment across manufacturing, services, and the MSME segment. The policy covers benefits ranging from electricity tariff exemptions and stamp duty waivers to direct state support for employers' provident fund contributions — with a notable focus on employment for women and transgender workers.

Key Incentives Under the New Policy

Under the new framework, new investments in both the manufacturing and services sectors will receive electricity tariff exemptions for up to five years. The state government will additionally provide financial assistance towards rent on leased premises for newly established units.

For micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the policy promises loans at affordable interest rates and support in adopting new technologies. Financial assistance will be enhanced for investment proposals located in industrially backward sub-divisions of the state, an explicit attempt to channel capital away from already-developed corridors.

Mega projects committing to generate at least 50 jobs per acre will receive state assistance for road construction and expedited water and electricity connections.

EPF Support with a Diversity Dimension

Perhaps the most distinctive provision of the new policy concerns employers' contributions to the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF). In the MSME segment, the state government will bear the entire employers' EPF contribution for women and transgender employees for up to 10 years. For male employees in the same segment, the state will cover 50 per cent of the employer's contribution over the same period.

For units with more than 200 employees, the state will bear 75 per cent of the EPF employer's contribution for female and transgender workers and 50 per cent for male workers. In large units and mega projects — defined as those with at least 200 employees in priority areas or at least 400 employees elsewhere — the state will cover 50 per cent of the employer's EPF share for up to five years.

Stamp Duty, CSR, and HRD Provisions

The policy also proposes stamp duty exemptions on land acquired for industrial projects and direct state assistance in human resource development. Notably, educational institutions and hospitals run from a corporate social responsibility (CSR) corpus will be eligible for 100 per cent duty-free status, provided the concerned industry house invests a minimum of ₹100 crore in that education or medical project.

Investment Assistance Limits and Sector Tiers

For expansion of existing industrial units, employment creation has been made a mandatory condition for accessing incentives. Assistance in plant and machinery investment has been set at 100 per cent of the eligible limit for general units, rising to 110 per cent for thrust sector units and 120 per cent for priority sector units. Disbursement will be staggered and linked to the commencement of production.

Single-Window Clearance and Timelines

The new policy mandates that all applications be routed through a single-window portal. A certificate of intent is to be granted within 30 days of application, and a certificate of eligibility within 45 days from the beginning of production — a move aimed at reducing the procedural bottlenecks that have historically discouraged large investors from choosing West Bengal over competing states. This comes amid intensifying competition among Indian states to attract post-China-plus-one supply chain relocations and domestic manufacturing expansion. How swiftly the state's bureaucracy translates the policy's timelines into ground-level implementation will determine whether the incentives convert to actual investment flows.