Seeking to put an end to West Bengal’s “long standing bottlenecks”, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is looking beyond the state for policy models, drawing on the experiences of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.From introducing a single-window clearance system for industries and exploring land pooling to expanding plantation drives, strengthening rural employment schemes like the VB G-RAM-G and tightening the law-and-order framework, the new BJP government is seeking to replicate practices it believes have delivered results elsewhere.AdvertisementThe emphasis on borrowing from other states was evident soon after Adhikari took charge as Chief Minister in May. Speaking at a programme, he said, “Let us endeavour to make West Bengal like Gujarat in the next five years. If not fully, at least 50% of that should be achieved.”Expert Explains | How VB – G RAM G Act, which replaces MGNREGA, affects states’ financesSix months into the new government, this approach is beginning to take shape across several policy areas, with the administration seeking to move away from systems followed during the 15-year tenure of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.Ease of doing businessOne of the key areas of focus is industrial development. While unveiling the state’s new Industrial Promotion Policy, Adhikari indicated that the government would introduce a single-window clearance system on the lines of the model pioneered by Gujarat nearly two decades ago.AdvertisementThe proposed single window portal will serve as the principal interface for investors, providing information and facilitating applications, approvals, assistance, grievance redressal and investor aftercare throughout the duration of the project. The government has also proposed providing a legal guarantee for time-bound industrial services through laws, rules, notifications or executive orders.Departments and agencies will have to record and justify delays beyond the prescribed timelines, with each stage of the application, approval and payment process assigned a deadline and a designated officer.Also Read | Encounter after encounter: Why Suvendu government has given ‘free hand’ to police in crimes against womenWhere projects require clearances from the Centre or authorities outside the state government, the state will make efforts to facilitate the process.A state-level empowered committee will also be constituted to identify strategic and mega projects, approve customised incentives and higher benefit ceilings, consider special provisions relating to location and power subsidies, and resolve inter-departmental issues.Land availability, another major hurdle to industrial investment in Bengal, is also on the government’s agenda. Adhikari has ruled out forcible acquisition and the approach of the TMC government, which largely left industrialists to arrange land on their own.“We will neither have a forcible land acquisition policy like the Left, nor will we have a flawed land policy like the TMC, asking industries to buy their own land without any support from the government,” he said.Instead, the government plans to create a land bank for industries by arranging to purchase land. It is also examining land pooling models followed in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.Also Read | West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari flags 57k ‘fake’ TMC-era housing scheme beneficiariesUnder the land pooling system, land parcels belonging to different owners are consolidated for planned development. In return, landowners receive a proportionate share of the developed land or compensation, depending on the policy framework. Adhikari has indicated that landowners could get back 25 to 30% of their land after development.The model is intended to reduce acquisition costs while increasing the value of land through the provision of roads, utilities and other infrastructure. It also allows original landowners to remain stakeholders in the development process rather than being displaced through conventional acquisition. The government believes such an approach could reduce litigation, protests and project delays while facilitating planned urbanisation.Taking rural lesson from AndhraThe administration is also looking to Andhra Pradesh for lessons in implementing the 125-day rural employment scheme, the VB G-RAM-G. According to officials, Andhra Pradesh ranks second in the country, after Tamil Nadu, in generating person-days under the programme, while West Bengal is among the lowest performers.To understand the reasons behind the difference, the West Bengal government sent a four-member delegation of Panchayat officials to Andhra Pradesh on the day after Bijaya Dashami. During their three-day visit, the delegation met state officials and visited several areas to study the implementation of the scheme.Also Read | ‘Will discuss land issues with tribals’: CM Suvendu announces plans for industries in Bankura, PuruliaOfficials said the delegation found that Andhra Pradesh had generated more than five crore person-days in the first four months after the scheme began on July 1, compared with around 50 lakh in West Bengal.One of the practices that caught the delegation’s attention was the identification of large stretches of barren land for plantation and other development activities. The state also has a separate Panchayat Engineering Directorate responsible for roads and other infrastructure development, allowing gram panchayats to identify local requirements while the engineering wing undertakes the execution of infrastructure works.Following the visit, discussions have begun within the West Bengal administration on setting up a similar directorate. One proposal under consideration is to reorganise or merge the existing West Bengal State Rural Development Agency to create a dedicated institutional mechanism for rural infrastructure development.Also Read | Suvendu Adhikari slams Left, but praises Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee: ‘Was a very honest man’Afforestation is another area where Adhikari has indicated that he intends to draw from Uttar Pradesh. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Ek ped maa ke naam” (one tree in mother’s name) initiative, launched on World Environment Day in June 2024, the Chief Minister said his government would take up an ambitious plantation drive.“I am competing with Yogi ji. He is the Chief Minister of a big state. He said, I will plant 26 crore trees. I have said, I will plant 10 crore trees. I will go with you,” Adhikari said.The initiative seeks to encourage people to plant trees in their mothers’ names, linking environmental protection with a personal and emotional commitment.Zero-tolerance to crimeLaw and order is another area where the new government is looking at the Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat models. A section of administrative officials said Adhikari is seeking to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards organised crime, crimes against women, drug trafficking and infiltration, drawing comparisons with the policies pursued by the Yogi Adityanath government.Uttar Pradesh has enacted the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act and the Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act. Gujarat, meanwhile, brought the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act into force in 2015, following amendments to its earlier legislation.you may likeIn Bengal, the state government has introduced the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, proposing wider powers to tackle organised crime, habitual offenders and activities considered threats to public order.Increasing police strength is also a priority for the Adhikari government. The Chief Minister has pointed out that West Bengal has around 105 police personnel for every one lakh people, against the national average of 155.“Our state has 105 police personnel per one lakh citizens, while the national average is 155. Bengal will be ahead of Uttar Pradesh in the number of police personnel in the next two years,” he said.