The announcements were made by Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan after chairing a high-level review meeting in Kolkata with senior state officials.
The proposed Malda Clean Plant Facility will produce disease-free planting material for mango, litchi and other fruit crops, helping farmers improve productivity and access export markets. The initiative is part of the Centre's national Clean Plant Programme, which also provides financial support of up to INR 3 crore for large nurseries and INR 1.5 crore for medium-sized nurseries.
To boost farm incomes, the Centre also approved projects to strengthen rice, maize and orchid value chains, focusing on seed production, storage, processing and value addition. Chouhan announced that West Bengal will be developed as the Seed Hub of Eastern India, with MoUs already signed for the production of potato, hybrid maize and other crop seeds.
The minister said the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), State Agricultural Universities and agricultural scientists are jointly preparing a scientific agriculture roadmap for West Bengal. The plan will recommend region-specific cropping systems based on soil, climate and water availability while promoting research-led farming and value chain development.
On rural development, Chouhan announced that the Centre has approved INR 8,508 crore for West Bengal. Combined with the state's contribution, more than INR 12,064 crore will be invested through Panchayats until March 2027 to support employment generation and rural infrastructure under the new VB-G RAM G framework.
The Centre also granted interim approval for one lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). The deadline for beneficiary surveys has been extended to August 15 due to heavy rainfall to ensure all eligible families are covered.
Women-led Self-Help Groups will receive an additional INR 295 crore, including INR 245 crore in bank credit and INR 50 crore through the Community Investment Fund, to strengthen rural enterprises and livelihood opportunities.
The minister also announced plans to expand the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Kisan Credit Card (KCC) coverage through village-level camps organised with NABARD and banks, aiming to improve crop insurance coverage and access to affordable institutional credit.
Separately, the Centre reviewed 19 major infrastructure projects worth over INR 82,000 crore in roads, railways, metro, petroleum, coal and labour sectors. Chouhan said bottlenecks related to land acquisition, rehabilitation, forest clearances and utility shifting are being addressed to accelerate implementation and improve connectivity across the state.