West Bengal Seeks Policy Inspiration from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh for New Governance Plan

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is looking to policy models from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana to fix the state's long-standing bottlenecks. Six months into the new BJP administration, which follows a 15-year TMC tenure under Mamata Banerjee, the government is adopting specific practices from other states across industrial development, land acquisition, rural employment, afforestation and law enforcement.

Industry and Land

For industrial growth, the state is launching a single-window clearance system inspired by Gujarat, aiming to give investors time-bound services backed by legal guarantees and a state-level empowered committee. To solve land availability hurdles without resorting to forcible acquisition or leaving firms to buy land independently, the government is examining land pooling models from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. This pooling system allows landowners to receive 25 to 30 percent of developed land back after consolidation, which reduces acquisition costs and litigation.

Rural Jobs and Safety

West Bengal also sent a four-member panchayat delegation to study Andhra Pradesh's implementation of the VB G-RAM-G rural employment scheme, noting Andhra Pradesh generated over five crore person-days in four months compared to West Bengal's 50 lakh. Inspired by Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Adhikari aims to plant 10 crore trees under an afforestation drive and has introduced the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026. Additionally, the administration plans to raise police strength, noting the state currently has 105 police personnel per one lakh citizens against a national average of 155.

Context

State governments in India frequently examine and adapt successful policy frameworks from other states to accelerate regional development and address administrative backlogs. Benchmarking initiatives like single-window clearances or rural employment generation helps states replicate proven administrative successes while tailoring them to local requirements.