Know Your Ministries

The Council of Ministers controls everything from your child's education to the roads you travel. Learn what each ministry does.

Top 10 Ministries That Impact Your Daily Life

🏥

Health & Family Welfare

Controls all government hospitals, doctors, medicines, ambulances, and health programs in West Bengal

Budget

₹15,000+ Crore/year

Employees

50,000+

📊Key Statistics

1,200+ government hospitals and health centers
18 Medical Colleges including SSKM, NRS, RG Kar
108 Ambulance service handles 15,000+ calls/day
2 Crore+ patients visit government hospitals yearly
10,000+ Primary Health Centers across Bengal

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.When your child has fever at night - will the nearby PHC have a doctor?
2.When you need emergency surgery - is the district hospital equipped?
3.When your elderly parent needs dialysis - is it available free?
4.Pregnant women delivery - safe motherhood depends on this ministry
5.Medicine availability at government hospitals - this minister decides

🎯Government Schemes

Swasthya Sathi

Free health coverage up to ₹5 lakh for every family - 10 crore people covered

Sishu Sathi

Free treatment for children with heart disease - 50,000+ children treated

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1How many doctors are posted in my block's PHC? What is the vacancy?
  • 2Why do I have to travel 50km for an MRI scan?
  • 3When will specialist doctors be available at sub-divisional hospitals?
  • 4Why are essential medicines often out of stock?
  • 5What is your plan to reduce waiting time at government hospitals?
📚

School Education

Manages 1 lakh+ schools, 5 lakh+ teachers, Madhyamik & Higher Secondary exams, midday meals for 1 crore+ students

Budget

₹25,000+ Crore/year

Employees

5,00,000+

📊Key Statistics

1,00,000+ government and aided schools
1.5 Crore+ students enrolled in schools
5 Lakh+ teachers (40,000+ posts vacant)
Madhyamik: 12 lakh+ students appear yearly
Higher Secondary: 9 lakh+ students appear yearly

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.Your child's school has 1 teacher for 5 subjects - who fills these vacancies?
2.Broken benches, no toilet, leaking roof - who maintains school buildings?
3.Quality of Madhyamik/HS results - why Bengal students struggle in national exams?
4.Midday meal quality - is your child getting nutritious food?
5.English and computer education - are rural schools equipped?

🎯Government Schemes

Kanyashree

Annual scholarship for girls - ₹750/year (Class 8-12) + ₹25,000 one-time at 18 - 60 lakh+ beneficiaries

Sabuj Sathi

Free bicycles for students Class 9-12 - 1 Crore+ bicycles distributed

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1When will all teacher vacancies in my area be filled?
  • 2Why don't government schools have English medium sections?
  • 3What is being done about the SSC/TET recruitment scam?
  • 4Why is there no proper science lab in my child's school?
  • 5When will vocational training be introduced in all schools?
🛡️

Home & Hill Affairs

Controls West Bengal Police, law and order, women's safety, crime prevention, and Darjeeling hill administration

Budget

₹12,000+ Crore/year

Employees

1,00,000+

📊Key Statistics

1,00,000+ police personnel in West Bengal
700+ police stations across the state
Kolkata Police: 35,000+ personnel, separate commissionerate
100+ women police stations (Mahila Thana)
CCTV coverage: 10,000+ cameras in Kolkata alone

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.When you call 100 at night - how fast does police respond?
2.Your daughter travels alone - is public transport safe?
3.Filing an FIR - will police register it or make excuses?
4.Political violence during elections - who controls it?
5.Cyber crime, online fraud - is there a mechanism to help you?

🎯Government Schemes

Duare Sarkar

Doorstep delivery of 11 government services including police verification

Safe Drive Save Life

Road safety campaign - reduced road accident deaths by 25%

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1Why does it take 45 minutes for police to arrive when I call 100?
  • 2What is being done about rising crimes against women?
  • 3Why are many police posts lying vacant for years?
  • 4What action against politically-connected criminals?
  • 5When will all police stations have proper cyber crime cells?
🛣️

Public Works Department

Builds and maintains roads, bridges, government buildings - every pothole and broken bridge is their responsibility

Budget

₹8,000+ Crore/year

Employees

25,000+

📊Key Statistics

35,000+ km of state highways and major district roads
5,000+ bridges and culverts under state management
500+ government buildings maintained yearly
₹2,000+ Crore spent on road repair annually
Monsoon damage: 1,000+ km roads damaged each year

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.The road to your village - is it motorable or full of craters?
2.Bridge collapse - who is responsible for structural safety?
3.Monsoon flooding due to blocked drains - PWD maintains drainage
4.Your child's school building falling apart - who repairs it?
5.Travel time doubled due to bad roads - impacts your livelihood

🎯Government Schemes

Pathashree

Road improvement scheme - 12,000+ km roads upgraded

Setubandhan

Bridge construction and repair - 500+ new bridges built

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1The main road to my village has been broken for 3 years - when will it be repaired?
  • 2Why do newly built roads develop potholes within 6 months?
  • 3The bridge near my house is 50 years old - has it been inspected for safety?
  • 4Why are road projects delayed by 2-3 years beyond deadline?
  • 5Contractor quality - who monitors that proper materials are used?
🏘️

Panchayat & Rural Development

Runs MGNREGA (100 days work), rural housing, village roads, drinking water - lifeline of 7 crore rural Bengalis

Budget

₹20,000+ Crore/year

Employees

50,000+

📊Key Statistics

3,354 Gram Panchayats across West Bengal
341 Panchayat Samitis (Block level)
23 Zilla Parishads (District level)
70 Lakh+ job cards under MGNREGA
58,000+ villages in West Bengal

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.MGNREGA wages - are you getting ₹223/day for 100 days?
2.Rural housing (Bangla Awas Yojana) - did you get your house?
3.Village road to connect to main road - who builds it?
4.Drinking water - tube well, piped water in your village?
5.Gram Panchayat funds - is it being spent transparently?

🎯Government Schemes

MGNREGA

100 days guaranteed work at ₹223/day - West Bengal is top performer with 25 Crore+ person-days

Bangla Awas Yojana

Rural housing - ₹1.2 lakh per house - 30 lakh+ houses built

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1Why is MGNREGA work not available when I need it?
  • 2My Bangla Awas application has been pending for 2 years - why?
  • 3Panchayat Pradhan takes commission on every scheme - what action?
  • 4Why is the village road fund spent on main roads instead?
  • 5Drinking water pipeline was promised 5 years ago - when?
🏙️

Urban Development & Municipal Affairs

Controls Kolkata Municipal Corporation, 127 municipalities - water supply, garbage, drainage, building permissions

Budget

₹10,000+ Crore/year

Employees

80,000+

📊Key Statistics

Kolkata Municipal Corporation: 1.5 Crore population
127 Municipalities + 7 Municipal Corporations
3.5 Crore urban population in West Bengal (38% of state)
1,000+ tonnes garbage collected daily in Kolkata alone
50+ lakh water connections across urban Bengal

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.Water comes for 2 hours only - why not 24x7?
2.Garbage piling up on your street corner - who clears it?
3.Waterlogging after 30 minutes rain - whose drainage system?
4.Building permission takes 6 months - why so slow?
5.Footpath occupied by hawkers - who regulates it?

🎯Government Schemes

Jal Swapno

Piped drinking water to every urban household - 50 lakh+ connections

Nijashree

Affordable housing for urban poor - ₹1-3 lakh subsidy per house

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1Why does my area face water shortage while other areas have 24x7 supply?
  • 2Garbage collection is irregular - why are there no fixed timings?
  • 3My colony gets waterlogged every monsoon - when will drainage improve?
  • 4Property tax increased but services didn't - why?
  • 5Illegal constructions happening everywhere - who stops them?
🌾

Agriculture

Supports 70 lakh+ farmers - seeds, fertilizers, crop insurance, MSP, Krishak Bandhu income support

Budget

₹8,000+ Crore/year

Employees

15,000+

📊Key Statistics

70 Lakh+ farmers in West Bengal
52 Lakh hectares cultivated land
Rice production: 1.5 Crore+ tonnes/year (3rd in India)
Potato production: 1 Crore+ tonnes/year (2nd in India)
75 Lakh+ Krishak Bandhu beneficiaries

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.Paddy MSP - are you getting the minimum support price?
2.Fertilizer shortage during sowing season - who ensures supply?
3.Crop destroyed by flood/drought - is insurance claim paid?
4.Cold storage for potato - is it available near you?
5.Agricultural loan at 4% - are banks providing it?

🎯Government Schemes

Krishak Bandhu

₹10,000/year income support for farmers + ₹2 lakh death benefit - 75 lakh+ beneficiaries

Bangla Shasya Bima

Crop insurance - premium paid by government - covers flood, drought, pest damage

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1Why is paddy procurement so slow - farmers waiting for weeks?
  • 2Krishak Bandhu money comes late - when will it be on time?
  • 3Fertilizer prices up 40% - what subsidy support?
  • 4My land was flooded - crop insurance still not paid after 6 months?
  • 5Market price for vegetables crashes - any MSP protection?
🍚

Food & Supplies

Runs Public Distribution System - 10 crore+ people get subsidized rice, wheat, oil through ration shops

Budget

₹6,000+ Crore/year

Employees

20,000+

📊Key Statistics

10 Crore+ people covered under PDS
2.1 Crore ration cards in West Bengal
21,000+ Fair Price Shops (Ration Shops)
35 kg rice/wheat per family per month at ₹2/kg
1 litre cooking oil per family at subsidized rates

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.Ration shop says "no stock" - but where did the grain go?
2.Your name deleted from ration card - how to get it back?
3.Digital ration (e-POS) machine not working - manual system possible?
4.Quality of rice given - is it fit to eat?
5.New ration card application pending for 1 year - why?

🎯Government Schemes

Khadya Sathi

Universal PDS - every family gets 35kg rice/wheat at ₹2/kg regardless of income

e-POS System

Biometric verification at ration shops - reduces corruption and fake cards

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1Why does the ration shop owner say stock finished by 15th every month?
  • 2My mother's fingerprint doesn't work on e-POS - she can't get ration?
  • 3Ration dealer sells in black market - what action against him?
  • 4Why is oil not available for the last 3 months?
  • 5Single women, disabled people struggle to reach ration shop - home delivery?

Power & Non-Conventional Energy

Manages electricity supply for 2.5 crore+ consumers - WBSEDCL, CESC, load shedding, billing, new connections

Budget

₹5,000+ Crore/year

Employees

40,000+

📊Key Statistics

2.5 Crore+ electricity consumers in West Bengal
WBSEDCL serves rural areas, CESC serves Kolkata
99%+ villages electrified under Saubhagya scheme
Peak demand: 12,000+ MW (often supply falls short)
200+ MW solar power capacity added

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.Load shedding for 4-6 hours in summer - when will it end?
2.Electricity bill doubled suddenly - is meter faulty?
3.New connection application pending for 8 months - why so slow?
4.Transformer burns every monsoon - when permanent solution?
5.Street lights not working - who maintains them?

🎯Government Schemes

Saubhagya

Free electricity connection to every household - 40 lakh+ connections given

Solar Rooftop

Subsidy for rooftop solar panels - 40% central + state subsidy

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1Why does my area face 6 hours load shedding while nearby areas have 24x7 power?
  • 2My bill shows 500 units but I only use AC 2 hours - meter check?
  • 3Agriculture pump connection - why 2 year wait?
  • 4Frequent voltage fluctuation damaging appliances - compensation?
  • 5Why are electricity rates higher in West Bengal than neighboring states?
🚌

Transport

Manages government buses, licenses, vehicle permits, road safety - how you travel daily depends on this ministry

Budget

₹3,000+ Crore/year

Employees

30,000+

📊Key Statistics

SBSTC, NBSTC, CSTC operate 4,000+ government buses
1 Crore+ registered vehicles in West Bengal
50 Lakh+ driving licenses issued
25,000+ auto/taxi permits
3,000+ road accidents per year (1,000+ deaths)

👤How It Impacts Your Life

1.Government bus doesn't come to your village - private operators charge double
2.Driving license takes 3 months - why not same day?
3.Overloaded buses, rash driving - who enforces safety?
4.Auto/taxi refuses to go by meter - who regulates fares?
5.No bus after 8 PM - women can't travel safely at night

🎯Government Schemes

Student Bus Pass

Subsidized monthly pass for students - ₹55 for unlimited travel in government buses

Sarathi Portal

Online driving license application - reduced wait time from months to weeks

Questions to Ask Candidates

  • 1Why no government bus service to my village/locality?
  • 2Online driving license appointment not available for 3 months - why?
  • 3Who is responsible for checking overloaded buses?
  • 4Auto union controls permits - why no free permits for new drivers?
  • 5Why are bus fares increased every year but bus quality remains poor?

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