Why is Bengal so backward?
Partition and the resultant refugee influx, dependence on industries like jute, mining and tea, and lack of diversification caused the setback, but the mid-70s arrested the state’s slide. Although West Bengal has not regained its past glory, its per capita GDP has largely kept pace with the national average since then.
Why the lack of industry in West Bengal?
While the central government tried to protect the industries based on domestic market through import tariffs, it did very little to promote export-oriented industries like jute and tea, which were the traditional industries of West Bengal. The state’s agriculture during this period was showing very little growth.
Is Bengal prosperous?
Bengal was one of the wealthiest regions, of the Asian subcontinent, prior to the invasion of the British East India Company in 1757. Even after partition, in 1947, till the early 1950s, West Bengal’s industrial contribution was highest among all the states of India.
Is Bengal the poorest state?
CALCUTTA: A recent survey by the Centre, describing West Bengal as one of the poorest states in the country, has come as an embarrassment for the Left Front government before the ensuing civic and Assembly polls in the state.
Is West Bengal still an industrialised state?
West Bengal was the second-most industrialised state in terms of value added and first in terms of number of factories and employment even in the mid-1960s. With a severe and long process of deindustrialisation, it lost its primacy.
What is the reason behind the high unemployment in West Bengal?
The budget speech of the West Bengal finance minister blames Union government policies like demonetisation and hasty implementation of the Goods and Services Tax for rising joblessness and refers to the high unemployment rate prevailing in the country, the highest in four decades.
When will the West Bengal Assembly discuss the state budget?
The West Bengal assembly will discuss the state budget later this week, which was presented by the finance minister on February 4, 2019.
Why is West Bengal’s mobilisation falling short of average?
This is because West Bengal’s own-tax revenues have declined from 5.4\% of GSDP to 3.3\% of GSDP, while the own-tax revenue/GDP ratio for all states taken together have remained between 6 to 6.6\% during this period. Even in non-tax revenues, West Bengal’s mobilisation falls far short of the average of all states.