Kolkata: The West Bengal Budget proposal for the financial year 2021-22 was tabled in the state assembly on Wednesday. In the wake of the COVID-19 situation, the Mamata Banerjee-led state government announced some major relief in road tax and stamp duty in the budget proposals.
In absence of the state Finance minister, Dr Amit Mitra, the state’s legislative affairs and commerce and industries minister, Partha Chattopadhyay read out the budget proposals on Wednesday. He tabled a Rs 3.08 lakh crore budget on Wednesday. Interestingly an amount of Rs 1.29 lakh crore was allocated for the industries and commerce department for the fiscal under view.
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Economic and industry observers feel that this is a good signal and it proves that besides welfare activities, the state government has also started concentrating on industrial development in the state. At the same time, Rs 21.71 crore was allotted for backward class development and Rs 500 crore for the student credit card scheme. Commenting on the road tax waiver, Chattopadhyay said that the waiver which was supposed to end on July 1, 2021, has been extended till December 31, 2021.
At the same time, a two per cent reduction in stamp duty on property deed registration was also announced. The circle rate was also reduced by 10 percentage points. In his budget speech, Chattopadhyay launched a scathing attack against the Central government on the rising fuel price.