Untold Story of West Bengal: Hits and Misses of Didi
By: Dd Mishra
Tags: Governance, Trinamool Congress, Didi, Mamta Banerjee, West Bengal

Before the voters decide to select their destiny for the next 5 years, it is time to review objectively what has been achieved in the last 5 years. There is a lot of misleading statements by politicians who are trying to leverage the opportunity and it is more important to understand it from an ordinary citizen’s perspective. Here I have used Good, Stable, and Needs Improvement to represent the various parameters. Good is indicated where the performance meets or exceeds the expectation, Stable indicates an area where it shows emerging improvement but performance is subdued, and Needs Improvement is an area that has performed below expectation.

Economic Growth

Economic growth or downfall is the outcome of governance and I consider it as the single most important parameter. This is an indicator of the historic initiatives that were undertaken. But for a common person, it matters as it is linked to his/her livelihood.

On analyzing the data, It appears that Mamta managed the economic growth pretty well. West Bengal, India’s sixth-largest state in terms of economic size, had a Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Rs. 14.44 trillion (US$ 206.64 billion) in 2020–21. The state’s GSDP grew at a CAGR of 12.62% from 2015–16 to 2020–21. During 2019–20, the GSDP growth rate of West Bengal was 12.47% which is above the national average of all states.

Overall, it indicates GOOD Economic growth performance.

Per Capita

The per capita GSDP of West Bengal increased at a CAGR of 10.87% between 2015–16 and 2019–20. This means the average income of individuals increased consistently above the national average of 6.8% in 2020. The national average per capita income is around INR 1,35,000 in 2020 and wherein West Bengal’s per capita income is 126,121 in 2020 which is 93% of the national average. This is below the national average yet but if the same rate of growth is maintained, it may cross the national average in the next two to three years. This is a remarkable recovery looking at the state in which historically it was there a decade ago. The per capita income of India in 2010–11 was 54,385 wherein West Bengal was at 48,536 at current prices which were roughly around 89% of the national average (current prices).

Overall, it indicates STABLE per-capita performance.

FDI — Foreign Direct Investments

According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), FDI inflow in West Bengal, along with Sikkim and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands, was around US$ 6,090 million during April 2000 and March 2020. However, much of this investment came before 2011. The contribution of West Bengal to overall India’s FDI is in the range of 1–2% which has not increased in decades. There have been endeavors and occasional blips but here I am looking at the entire horizon.

Overall, FDI remains an AREA OF IMPROVEMENT.

MSME (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises) Businesses

West Bengal accounts for almost 14% of India’s MSME sector. Today, they provide the backbone of West Bengal’s economy and contributing to economic growth. The vision behind West Bengal’s MSME success is its MSME policy 2013–2018 and a beautiful execution and commitment from WB Government. West Bengal provides a single-window for all services through its scheme Shila Sathi. West Bengal achieved the top spot on ease of doing business in India during 2018. This is important as it provides maximum employment opportunities.

Overall, the MSME Sector indicates GOOD performance.

Exports

The total exports from West Bengal are more than 10% of India’s export. During FY 2019, Total export from the state stood at US$ 9,921.28 million. Major items exported from West Bengal are Iron and Steel and Gold and Other Precious Metals etc. Export has grown under Didi's tenure. It has registered nearly a CAGR 11% growth rate in terms of exports from 2016–2019.

Overall, Export growth indicates GOOD performance.

Airports & Passengers

Aircraft movement at Kolkata airport increased from 102,458 in FY16 to 165,761 in FY20. Passenger traffic handled at Kolkata airport increased from 12.42 million in FY16 to 22.01 million in FY20. Freight traffic at Kolkata airport stood at 153,468 in FY20. This shows there was a 15% improvement in the number of aircraft landing in Kolkata and nearly 25% average growth per year in passenger traffic between FY16 to FY20. The passenger and aircraft traffic indicate increased business in the state. Besides, Kolkata Dock System and Haldia Dock Complex registered 63 Million Tones till FY20 from 50.2 Million Tonnes in FY17 and increased growth of an average of 6% yearly in the last few years (FY17-FY20).

Overall, Passenger and Goods traffic indicates GOOD performance.

Power

West Bengal Government improved by power generation capability from 9500 MW in 2015 to 10500 MW in 2018, with the growth of 1000 megawatts i.e. is 10.5% average yearly growth 3 years. The transmission availability is 99.9%. The growth is in pace with the electricity demand growth for 2016, 2017, 2018. However, the yearly demand increased to 4% post-2018. West Bengal Government added another 500 MW capability in 2020 which can fully outplace the new demand. 2020 power generation capacity is more than 11,026 MW. There have been newer projects which are sanctioned already keeping in view future demand.

Overall, the Power sector has demonstrated GOOD performance.

Healthcare

The neonatal mortality rate, which was 21 per thousand live births in the year 2012, came down to 17 in the year 2017. Also, the infant mortality rate that was 32 per thousand live births was reduced to 25 in the year 2017. Additionally, the institutional delivery in West Bengal reached 98 percent in 2017.

However, in terms of overall healthcare, West Bengal needs to do more. Niti Ayog report puts West Bengal ranking somewhere in middle in its large state category. However, Niti Ayog indicated WB as the “Achiever” category for the 2018 assessment in large states for the improvements done in healthcare.

Overall, Healthcare appears to be STABLE but needs to do better.

IT-Sector Growth

Total export from the IT sector from the state was estimated to have crossed Rs. 22,897 crore (US$ 3.28 billion) in 2018–19. This was a marked increase from 2.19 in 2015–16. The overall increase of an average of 15% every year which is more than the CAGR 13–14% growth rate Indian IT Services sector growth in terms of the end-user spending. The contribution is minuscule and in the last 10 years, the opportunities do not appear to have been fully tapped.

Overall, IT Sector Growth remains an AREA OF IMPROVEMENT.

Employment

During 2018, West Bengal was assessed as a top state in terms of Rural employment generation. The state has generated 30.98 crore person days under the 100 days work scheme till March 31, 2018. However, unemployment data of West Bengal published by CMIE indicates that it remained choppy. In 2016, West Bengal’s unemployment average was 7.08% (national average 8.29%), in 2017 it made a remarkable improvement to 5.83% (national average 4.5%) but in 2018 it slipped to 7.06% (national average 6.03%). In 2019, it again improved to 6.42% (national average 7.3%), and in 2020 because of the COVID situation, it seems to have slipped to an average of 10.27% (national average 10.46%).

Employment remains AN AREA OF IMPROVEMENT.

Tourist Inflow

West Bengal has leveraged the tourism potential and has improved tourist inflow. From 71.7 Million tourists in 2015, it has managed to get 92.3 million in 2019. In her previous tenure, Didi managed to triple the growth of tourists in West Bengal from 25.4 million in 2013 to 70.2 million in 2015. The average yearly growth between 2015 to 2019 is 5%.

Tourism Growth Indicates GOOD performance in this sector.

Global Recognition

In 2019, West Bengal Government’s schemes like “Sabooj Sathi” and “Utkarsha Bangla” received a prestigious award from the United Nation. Utkarsha Bangla is a world-class skill development program of the Government of West Bengal. “Sabooj Saathi” provides means of commuting to Government aided schools and madrasahs in West Bengal.

Earlier in 2018, West Bengal Chief Minister won the Skoch Chief Minister of the Year Award for her contribution to the overall development of the state and emerging as the best chief minister in the country.

In 2017, West Bengal Chief Minister was conferred with the highest public service award for the girl child project Kanyashree by United Nations. This is one of the best schemes for Girl Child across the globe.

West Bengal is the only state which has 3 schemes getting UN recognition.

During 2020, WB Govt’s E-Samsadhan (grievance redressal) got the highest digital India platinum award at the 66th Skoch summit.

Overall, the performance is GOOD in getting global recognition for its hard work.

Conclusion

Looking at the various indicators, the West Bengal Government has done exceedingly well towards weaker sections of society making growth more inclusive. From the various information available, it seems that the next set of growth activities will revolve around bringing industrial growth and creating opportunities in urban areas. The perception of West Bengal needs to change for better access to opportunities. When I compared West Bengal from many other states, it faired much better than UP, MP, and Bihar in the number of parameters and performed at par with many progressive states. The legacy issues and the historical challenges, alignment with the center are some of the top barriers of progress preventing Mamta.