The West Bengal state cabinet, at a meeting on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, cleared the draft industrial policy for the state, with a formal announcement scheduled for 5 November at an administration review meeting. The policy is designed to attract investment, streamline approvals, and generate large-scale employment across the state.

Background and Process

The move follows a commitment made earlier by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who had announced that a comprehensive new industrial policy would be framed within the current year to facilitate investment. In June this year, a group of ministers was formally entrusted with the task of drafting the policy.

'Finally, the draft policy had been prepared and cleared by the state cabinet in a meeting on Wednesday. The same will be announced on November 5. This new industrial policy will be a gift for the people of West Bengal before the forthcoming Kali Puja and Diwali festivals,' a state cabinet member said.

Key Focus Areas of the New Policy

According to the cabinet member, the new industrial policy has been prepared with a focus on creating an ideal investment environment, eliminating red-tapism in regulatory approvals, and enabling massive employment generation. The specific sectoral targets and incentive structures are expected to be detailed at the 5 November announcement.

Other Decisions from the Cabinet Meeting

The cabinet also cleared several other proposals at Wednesday's meeting. A notable decision was the renaming of the 'Krishak Bandhu' scheme — introduced by the previous Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government — to Chief Minister Kisan Sanman Nidhi. Under this restructured scheme, a one-time direct financial assistance will be transferred to the bank accounts of 48 lakh registered farmers across the state.

The cabinet additionally cleared proposals related to development in the farming and allied rural economy sectors. The state finance department was directed to immediately release the next instalment of funds to government departments that have already spent 35 per cent of their annual budget allocation, in a move aimed at accelerating administrative infrastructure spending.

Security Arrangements for Festival Season

With the Kali Puja and Diwali festivities approaching, the cabinet directed the police department to maintain public safety, peace, and order during the festival period. Individual ministers have been assigned responsibility for specific districts to monitor the situation closely during the celebrations.

All eyes will now be on the 5 November administration review meeting, where the full details of the industrial policy are expected to be made public, potentially shaping West Bengal's investment narrative heading into the next fiscal year.