Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday explained how the first state budget of the first BJP government put up safeguards against corruption, particularly in the government recruitment and industrial sectors, which had plagued the Mamata Banerjee government.

During the Trinamool Congress regime, major corruption was reported in recruitment for government jobs, including in schools, municipalities and other government departments. The most prominent recruitment scam came to light in the appointment of teachers through the School Service Commission (SSC), resulting in the arrest of former education minister Partha Chatterjee.

The BJP not only tapped into the discontent among young and educated voters but also promised that, after coming to power, it would ensure corruption-free recruitment.
Therefore, while presenting a budget of over ₹4.38 lakh crore, Suvendu did not forget to highlight how his government had focused on eliminating corruption in the recruitment process.

The chief minister said there would be no political representatives on recruitment boards to minimise the possibility of corruption and that the state would follow a model similar to that of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

"The finance minister has stated in the budget speech that there will be no political representative in the recruitment process. The West Bengal government will follow the standards and procedures of the UPSC. The corruption that plagued government recruitment in the past will not be repeated. This is a major aspect of the budget," said Suvendu.

A source said that the UPSC is headed by a chairman and supported by 9 to 11 members appointed by the President of India. Each member serves a tenure of six years, or until attaining the age of 65, whichever is earlier.

However, the Bengal government is yet to clarify the model that will be followed for different recruitment bodies such as the Public Service Commission (PSC), School Service Commission (SSC) and College Service Commission (CSC) in the case of the Bengal government.

Suvendu also said that the government would complete one lakh recruitments this year across various sectors, including schools and the police force.

During Mamata Banerjee's regime, another area allegedly affected by corruption was the establishment of small and medium-scale industries. It was alleged that local TMC leaders demanded money in the name of facilitating various approvals and services, discouraging investors and leading many to move their investments elsewhere.

Sources said that representatives of panchayats and civic bodies were often involved in this form of corruption.
To put an end to this practice, Suvendu said that his government would introduce a new single-window clearance system under which local bodies would have no role to play.

"The budget mentions changes relating to land ceiling regulations. Investors committing more than ₹100 crore will not have to seek permission from panchayats or local bodies. Since permissions are granted at the state level and agreements are executed by the state government, investors will no longer have to arrange land through local intermediaries or pay extortion money as they allegedly had to under previous governments. This will free them from the harassment they often faced at the local level during the previous regime," said the chief minister.

Suvendu also said that although his government had increased salaries for contractual workers such as civic volunteers by ₹2,000, it would verify their documents.