Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during a meeting with West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta, in New Delhi
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West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta on Wednesday met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and NITI Aayog vice-chairman Ashok Lahiri ahead of next week’s State Budget.The first Budget Session of the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly will commence on June 18, and the Budget will be presented on June 22. The newly inducted Finance Minister is scheduled to table in the House the State’s Budget for the financial year 2026-27.In his post on social media platform X, Dasgupta on Wednesday said he called on Sitharaman at her office to discuss the issue of Central schemes and other matters related to the economy of West Bengal. “She is one of the most supportive individuals at the Centre as far as West Bengal is concerned. I look forward to working with her in the coming days,” he said.Before meeting Sitharaman, the West Bengal Finance Minister had pre-Budget consultations with the Niti Ayog vice chairman. “My pre-Budget consultations took me to the office of the Niti Ayog vice-chairman, Dr Ashok Lahiri. We spent a very pleasant hour in Delhi discussing various possibilities for West Bengal,” informed Dasgupta, a veteran columnist, author and former Rajya Sabha MP.Notably, Dasgupta held pre-Budget consultations with several industry bodies and trade bodies across Bengal last week, ahead of presenting the first Budget of the BJP government in the State.The government earlier this month announced the allocation of portfolios among the newly inducted ministers, with senior BJP leaders Swapan Dasgupta and Tapas Roy getting the Finance Department and the Department of Industry, Commerce and Enterprises, respectively.Thirteen cabinet ministers, including Dasgupta and Roy, were sworn in at Kolkata’s Lok Bhawan. Three ministers of State with independent charge and 19 ministers of State also took the oath, giving complete shape to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s team.After the induction of the 35 MLAs into the Council of Ministers, the State cabinet strength now stands at 41.Adhikari was sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal on May 9, after the BJP recorded a landslide victory in the Assembly elections in April. That day, Adhikari, the BJP legislature party leader, inducted five ministers, including Dilip Ghosh and Agnimitra Paul, into the State cabinet.Published on June 17, 2026
