The Trinamool Congress government of Bengal focused on tea and tourism, the top two drivers of north Bengal's economy, as it tabled its vote-on-account in the Assembly on Thursday ahead of the polls.
Minister of state for finance Chandrima Bhattacharya underscored the slew of initiatives taken up for tea and tourism, announcing an extension in some of the waivers for the brew belt.
“I am happy to announce that for the benefit of small tea garden owners of the state, the exemption of agricultural income tax on green tea leaves is further extended for one year, that is, till 31.03.2027. Further, the exemption of cess on tea production is also extended till 31.03.2027,” said Bhattacharya, as she read out her speech.
In Bengal, the rate of agricultural income tax is 30 per cent on profits earned from agriculture and in tea estates, 60 per cent of the profits earned is taxed for agricultural income, while the rest is considered for income tax.
For small tea growers, the entire profit from the sale of tea leaves is considered agricultural income.
On the other hand, the rate of cess, which has been waived, is 12 paisa for every kilo of tea leaf.
“We thank the state government for extending these waivers for another financial year, like the previous years. It would definitely help the tea industry that is confronting challenges ranging from lower auction prices to financial constraints,” said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, the president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associations.
In north Bengal, Trinamool is eyeing the tea belt as the support of tea workers, their families, tea growers and others swing the results of 10 to 12 Assembly seats. In 2021, despite the decisive mandate for Trinamool across Bengal, the party did not perform well here. The BJP won most seats in the tea belt.
Bhattacharya referred to the “Cha Sundari” or the housing scheme for tea workers floated by the Mamata Banerjee government. In 2025, over 2,800 houses were built for the workers in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts. Added to it, funds for the construction of houses were released to 24,500 beneficiaries who dwell in tea gardens so far. She said that in recent months, the state facilitated the reopening of some tea estates and opened crèches and health centres for workers.
The state’s policy on tea tourism and allied business, introduced to allow the use of unutilised and fallow land in tea gardens for promoting tourism and allied businesses, was cited.
“A total of 34 project proposals from 27 companies have been received to date under the initiative. So far, 16 project proposals have been approved for implementation, where the total investment would be ₹2,207.63 crore and would create employment for 7,628 people,” said the minister of state.
Eleven projects would come up in Darjeeling, two each in Jalpaiguri and Kalimpong and one in Alipurduar.
For tourism, an allocation of ₹525.92 crore was made for the 2026-27 fiscal, said Bhattacharya.
“Forty-two premium star-category hotels are expected to be operational in West Bengal over the next two years,” she said, while stating that from January to October 2025, 24.24 crore tourists, including 30 lakh foreign tourists, had visited Bengal.