West Bengal announces 100 MSME parks in 3 years, housing for tea garden workers

The West Bengal government on Monday announced setting up of 100 new MSME parks across the state in the next three years to generate employment as the Mamata Banerjee regime presented its last full Budget ahead of the 2021 assembly elections. In his Budget speech, state Finance Minister Amit Mitra announced free electricity for consumers with quarterly consumption up to 75 units and also a scheme to build houses for all permanent tea garden workers.

The state government also proposed agricultural income tax waiver for tea gardens for the next two fiscals. The state allocated Rs 200 crore for the next financial year for the MSME (Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) parks and Rs 500 crore for the housing scheme for tea garden workers, named 'Chai Sundari'. Mitra said the scheme will benefit around three lakh workers in 370 tea gardens in the state.