Centre has allocated ₹8.27 lakh crore to Bengal in last decade: Amit Shah in Bengal rally

Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the central government has allocated ₹8.27 lakh crore to West Bengal in the last decade. He detailed that under the previous UPA government, the state received ₹2.09 lakh crore through devolution and grants, whereas under the NDA government, this amount increased fourfold to ₹8.27 lakh crore. These funds have been distributed across various sectors including infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, and welfare.

In infrastructure, ₹1.5 lakh crore has been allocated in the last ten years, divided as ₹1.10 lakh crore for roads, ₹34,000 crore for railways, and ₹2,500 crore for airports. Notable road projects include the ₹61,000 crore Kharagpur-Siliguri Economic Corridor expected to be completed by 2028 and a ₹30,000 crore Siliguri-Gorakhpur Greenfield Expressway targeted for completion by 2027. Additionally, ₹10,000 crore was spent on upgrading 1,000 kilometers of national highways between 2014 and 2021.

Regarding railway infrastructure, ₹64,000 crore has been invested in 45 new track projects covering 4,660 kilometers. Of these, 1,300 kilometers of new track have been laid, surpassing the entire rail network of the UAE. Electrification efforts are at an advanced stage with 1,647 kilometers electrified, amounting to 98.6% completion. ₹4,000 crore was also allocated to develop 101 Amrit Bharat stations across the state.

The fisheries sector received focused attention with biometric ID cards issued to 2.6 lakh fishermen and QR code-enabled PVC Aadhaar cards given to 1.16 lakh fishermen. The Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund provided ₹7,500 crore to support infrastructure development in this sector. In port and shipping, ₹1,000 crore was invested in Hooghly port development, ₹500 crore sanctioned for the Sagar Island port under the Sagarmala project, and ₹180 crore used to establish a shipbuilding facility at Nazirgunj, Howrah.

Additional funding was directed toward agriculture, irrigation, industry, defence, health including the National Rural Health Mission, energy, and education sectors. These allocations represent central government initiatives to support development and welfare across multiple areas in West Bengal over the past decade.