India News | Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Chairs High-level Review Meeting with West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, State Ministers in Kolkata
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today chaired a high-level review meeting in Kolkata during his visit to West Bengal.
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 14 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today chaired a high-level review meeting in Kolkata during his visit to West Bengal.
The meeting was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, members of the State Cabinet, and senior officials of the Central and State Governments. Several key decisions and announcements were made during the meeting to accelerate the state's development, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Addressing a joint press conference with the Chief Minister, Chouhan said that the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat cannot be realised without a Viksit West Bengal.
Recalling his earlier visits to the state, he said that development had once remained stalled and Central Government schemes had failed to reach people effectively. However, under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi and the new leadership in the state, West Bengal is now moving towards a new era of growth and progress.
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Chouhan said, "The Central and State Governments are working together to accelerate infrastructure development in West Bengal. A review was undertaken of 19 major infrastructure projects worth over Rs 82,000 crore in the sectors of roads and highways, railways, metro, petroleum & natural gas, coal and labour. Detailed discussions were held on long-pending issues relating to land acquisition, rehabilitation & resettlement (R&R), utility shifting, forest clearances and inter-departmental coordination. Concerned Ministries, the State Government, district administration and implementing agencies were directed to ensure coordinated and time-bound action."
The Minister said that bottlenecks in several long-pending projects are being removed to expedite their implementation so that the benefits reach the people at the earliest.
He further said, "Infrastructure projects are the foundation of economic growth, improved connectivity, employment generation and a better quality of life. He urged all stakeholders to work in close coordination and take timely decisions for speedy implementation of the projects."
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regular review of infrastructure projects through PRAGATI, the Union Minister also suggested the establishment of a State-level Project Monitoring Group (State PMG) in West Bengal. He said that such a mechanism would strengthen project monitoring, improve inter-departmental coordination and accelerate the implementation of development projects of both the central and state governments.
As per the release, highlighting the Centre's commitment to rural development, Chouhan announced that over Rs 8,508 crore has been approved by the Central Government for West Bengal. Together with the State Government's share, total resources exceeding Rs 12,064 crore will be channelled directly through Panchayats up to March 31 to generate employment and support comprehensive rural development.
He said that the government's objective is no longer limited to guaranteeing 100 days of employment, but to move towards 125 days of employment, providing greater income security to rural households and enabling additional work opportunities during natural disasters or local emergencies. The Union Minister also referred to the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, which came into force on July 1 and establishes a new national framework for rural employment and livelihoods.
Under the framework, special emphasis in West Bengal will be placed on creating durable rural assets, including roads, ponds, minor irrigation infrastructure, schools and Anganwadi buildings.
Chouhan announced an interim approval for one lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin for West Bengal. He stated that due to heavy rainfall, beneficiary surveys could not be completed within the scheduled timeline.
Accordingly, the deadline for the survey has been extended until August 15 to ensure that all eligible families are accurately identified and no deserving beneficiary is left out. The Union Minister directed officials to expedite both beneficiary surveys and physical verification simultaneously, while ensuring that house allotments commence immediately upon completion of the verification process so that eligible families receive permanent housing at the earliest.
Under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana, Chouhan announced enhanced financial support for Women's Self-Help Groups in West Bengal. The package includes Rs 245 crore in bank credit and Rs 50 crore under the Community Investment Fund. He said rural women across West Bengal are transforming household economies through savings, credit and micro-enterprises, the ministry further said.
The additional financial assistance will strengthen their participation in production, processing, value addition and marketing, thereby creating new livelihood opportunities and enhancing rural incomes.
Referring to the national announcement to establish nine Clean Plant Centres across the country, Chouhan said fruit-rich regions such as Malda will be integrated into the Clean Plant network. The proposed Malda Clean Plant Facility will focus on producing disease-free, high-quality planting material for mango, litchi and other fruit crops, enabling farmers to access superior planting stock, improve productivity and produce export-quality fruits.
He added that under the Clean Plant Program, a modern nursery ecosystem is being developed, with financial assistance of up to Rs 3 crore for large nurseries and Rs 1.5 crore for medium-sized nurseries, ensuring that millions of disease-free plants reach farmers annually.
The Union Minister announced approval of special projects for West Bengal's major rice-growing regions to strengthen nutrition, value chains and processing infrastructure. The initiatives will focus on nutritious rice varieties, maize seed production, storage, processing and value addition, enabling farmers to secure higher prices and more stable markets.
Chouhan further announced that West Bengal will be developed as the Seed Hub of Eastern India. MoUs have already been signed with the State Government for the production of potato seed, hybrid maize seed and seeds of other crops. Projects for orchid cultivation and horticulture have also been approved, enabling farmers in suitable agro-climatic regions to diversify into high-value floriculture and horticulture, thereby increasing farm incomes.
Chouhan informed that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, State Agricultural Universities and agricultural scientists are jointly preparing a scientific Agriculture Roadmap for West Bengal.
The roadmap will identify region-specific crop planning based on agro-climatic conditions, soil characteristics, water availability and local resources, while recommending appropriate technologies and value-chain models to maximise agricultural productivity. He also stated that efforts are underway to develop rice research institutions into Centres of Excellence, enabling West Bengal to emerge as a research-driven model in crops such as rice, potato and maize.
The Union Minister announced that farmers across West Bengal will be brought under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana on a much larger scale to ensure protection against crop losses arising from natural calamities.
He also noted that access to the Kisan Credit Card remains limited and announced that, in collaboration with NABARD and banks, village-level camps will be organised to expand KCC coverage, ensuring farmers receive affordable institutional credit and reducing dependence on informal lenders. Chouhan further stated that initiatives such as the National Mission on Natural Farming, PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, Digital Agritech and nutrition enhancement programmes will significantly transform West Bengal's agricultural landscape.
Chouhan added that while development had once remained stalled in West Bengal, the state has now embarked on the journey towards a Viksit West Bengal under the leadership of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He affirmed that the Central Government would work in close partnership with the State Government to accelerate West Bengal's progress and help it emerge as one of India's leading states in development. (ANI)
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