kolkata

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; Kolkata | June 22, 2026 : The first budget of the newly formed BJP government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has delivered a major employment-focused announcement, bringing a significant boost for the youth, especially TET and SSC aspirants across West Bengal. Presenting the first full-fledged budget of the new administration in the State Assembly on Monday, Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta unveiled a series of unprecedented measures aimed at transforming employment opportunities, social welfare, and rural infrastructure.

The long-standing unemployment crisis in the state, the government announced a massive recruitment drive for 1 lakh vacant posts across various government departments. Out of these, the largest share—50,000 appointments—will be made exclusively in the education sector. This means that schools, colleges, and universities across the state will witness a large-scale recruitment of teachers, non-teaching staff, and professors to revive and strengthen the existing education system.

To provide additional opportunities to job aspirants, the government has also decided to extend the existing age relaxation of five years for applying to government jobs by another two years. This decision is expected to benefit thousands of candidates who were facing difficulties due to age limitations while waiting for recruitment processes to resume.

The budget has also outlined a comprehensive plan to strengthen the state's law and order system. Around 20,000 vacant posts will be filled in the police department, while 1,000 recruitments will be made in the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) to enhance security infrastructure. The remaining government vacancies will be distributed among other important departments according to administrative requirements.

The recruitment process, Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta stressed that the government is fully committed to maintaining transparency. He stated that the era of obtaining government jobs through backdoor appointments is over and assured that all recruitments would be conducted through a fair and transparent system.

The budget has introduced significant measures to promote social equality and women’s empowerment. From now onwards, 33 percent of all new government jobs will be reserved exclusively for women. In addition, as a mark of respect for the country's Agniveers, the government announced a provision of 10 percent reservation in applicable sectors. Keeping in mind the health and safety of female students, the government has also made it mandatory to install free sanitary napkin vending machines in all schools and colleges across the state.

The budget has also brought financial relief for grassroots-level workers who were allegedly deprived during the previous administration. The salaries of contractual teachers, commonly known as para-teachers, are proposed to be increased by ₹5,000 per month. Similarly, the monthly honorarium of Mid-Day Meal cooks and helpers has been increased by ₹1,000. To improve the nutritional quality of meals provided to children, the per-student allocation for Mid-Day Meals in primary schools has also been increased to ₹10.

The 2026 West Bengal Budget has therefore emerged as a major roadmap for employment generation, educational reform, women’s empowerment, and social welfare. The announcement of 50,000 education sector jobs, along with the overall recruitment of 1 lakh government employees, is likely to become one of the most significant decisions of the Suvendu Adhikari government’s first budget and is expected to have a far-reaching impact on thousands of job seekers across the state.