West Bengal government vacancies will be filled across departments after the state cabinet approved 45,185 posts on Wednesday, alongside a one-time Puja assistance package for workers in 21 closed tea gardens and expanded grants for Durga Puja committees.
The announcement was made by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari after the cabinet meeting. The approved vacancies include 33,199 posts in the school education department, 7,119 in panchayats and rural development, 1,886 in technical education, training and skill development, and 996 posts across various police ranks.
Within the school education allocation, the cabinet approved 4,432 primary assistant teacher posts, 6,052 upper-primary assistant teacher posts, 12,343 assistant teacher posts, 1,032 postgraduate teacher posts and 4,394 headmaster and headmistress posts. The announcement did not specify a recruitment calendar or the process through which the appointments will be made.
The cabinet also approved assistance for workers in 21 tea gardens that have remained closed since January 1, 2023. The decision covers 19,524 workers, who, according to Adhikari, are not receiving salaries or the 20% bonus being offered by the government. Eligible workers below 60 years of age will receive one-time Puja assistance of Rs 5,000 and an additional 50 kg of rice.
These workers already receive 35 kg of rice from the state government. Adhikari said the additional food support was intended as a small measure of assistance for workers affected by the closures. He also reiterated that the government’s bonus provision for tea garden workers had increased from 16% last year to 20% this year.
Adhikari said the Centre had approved the state government’s proposal to implement the Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana, with Rs 312 crore sanctioned for the scheme. The cabinet announcement did not provide further details on the scheme’s implementation schedule or how the approved funding would be distributed among workers and tea gardens.
The state also extended financial support to 800 additional Durga Puja committees that had sought permission after the September 5 deadline. With the latest approval, approximately 58,000 committees will receive government support, compared with around 45,000 last year.
Adhikari said the rise in the number of supported committees indicated an increase in community Durga Puja celebrations across the state. The cabinet announcement did not specify the grant amount for the additional committees. The next steps for filling the approved vacancies and distributing the tea-worker assistance will depend on departmental implementation following the cabinet’s decisions.
