West Bengal tops in net per capita income growth in 2020-21

Kolkata: West Bengal has ranked number one in the country on net per capita income growth in 2020-21, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The achievement deserves special mention considering the Covid situation since March last year. The country has registered a negative net per capita income growth. "W.Bengal ranked No 1 State by RBI on Net PerCapita Income Growth in 2020-21. Bravo! WB's growth + 7.16% while India average - 3.99. Flying colours for @MamataOfficial & contrasting incompetence of @narendramodi," tweeted state Finance minister Amit Mitra on Friday.

The development comes close on the heels of Bengal emerging as the country's second-best state to achieve a positive GDP growth with Rs 13.7 lakh crore GSDP based on the robust economic policy of the Mamata Banerjee government giving equal stress to life and livelihood when the economy had nosedived in 2020-21 due to Covid.

Taking a stand of emphasising demand stimulus policy by ensuring cash flow in the hands of masses at the time of economic slowdown, Bengal witnessed a positive 1.2 percent growth in Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) when the same for the country was "minus 7.7 percent".

The state's economic policy has also received the Niti Aayog's appreciation as one of the Eastern Indian states to ensure a positive GDP growth rate in the pandemic year of 2020-21.

Bengal is one of the few states to ensure Rs 10 lakh crore GSDP after Tamil Nadu (with above 2 percent positive GSDP growth). Again, the Trinamool Congress governed Bengal's GSDP was the highest in 2020-21 among all eastern states followed by Bihar with nearly half that of Bengal. Bihar's GSDP stood at Rs 7.6 lakh crore.

Moreover, Bengal has come up as the fourth largest state in terms of the net value added in the country as per the RBI.