Kolkata: Bengal govt’s budget will chart a roadmap to tackle the state’s economic crisis, finance minister Swapan Dasgupta said on Wednesday, days ahead of presenting the BJP govt’s first budget in the Bengal assembly on June 22.He added that the state govt cannot continue to function under a massive debt burden indefinitely and that his govt’s first budget would focus on infrastructure development as a key driver of economic growth and fiscal stability.The state finance minister was in Delhi on Wednesday where he met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and NITI Aayog vice chairman Ashok Lahiri to discuss issues concerning the state’s fiscal health and economy.“We want to work in cooperation with the Centre. Bengal did not avail several central projects. Additionally, some central projects were left unfinished. I have discussed these issues with the Union finance minister to gain clarity on the Centre’s plans and priorities,” Dasgupta added.With regard to his meeting with Lahiri, Dasgupta said: “Ashok Lahiri is well acquainted with Bengal’s political and economic landscape. He understands what needs to be done and where intervention is required.”Talking about his plans for the state budget, Dasgupta said: “I can assure you that this budget will be a serious exercise. Infrastructure lies at the heart of economic revival, and it will receive significant emphasis in our budget.”Stating that the BJP govt in Bengal is pro-business, the finance minister maintained that the current govt is different from the govts Bengal had seen over the past 50 years. “We will emphasise people’s income, expansion of industries and flow of investment from different sources,” he said.The finance minister further said that some allowances may be required. “In Sankalp Patra we made some promises, we have kept those. In future, our target is to make Bengal a more robust and progressive economy,” he added.
