New IIT & IIM Proposed in West Bengal Budget 2026; Key Highlights Inside

The BJP-led West Bengal government unveiled its first full budget for 2026-2027 on June 22, 2026. As per the announcement made by Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta in the budget speech, North Bengal is likely to get an IIT and an IIM. Read details below.

New IIT & IIM Proposed in West Bengal Budget 2026; Key Highlights

BJP announced its first budget for West Bengal on June 22, 2026. The key highlight of the budget speech was the establishment of two major institutes in North Bengal. This includes the proposal of setting up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and an Indian Institute of Management (IIM).

Currently, the state is home to the oldest IIT of the nation - IIT Kharagpur, and the state has IIM Calcutta. However, there are no IIMs or IITs in the northern part of the state. In the West Bengal Budget 2026, the proposal to establish one of each in North Bengal has been announced. This will mark a major higher educational push in North Bengal.

Indian Institute of Technology

The IITs are autonomous public institutes of higher education and are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act 1961, which declares the IITs as "Institutions of National Importance". They are considered the premier engineering colleges in India, and it is extremely competitive to get admission into their BTech programs. In 2026, the total number of BTech seats in all the IITs put together is around 18,160.

There are a total of 23 IITs across the country, renowned globally for their rigorous academics, exceptional alumni networks, and leading roles in technology and innovation. Admission to the IITs is based on the Joint Entrance Examination - Advanced.

Indian Institute of Management (IIM)

India has 22 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), with IIM Guwahati (established 2025) being the latest addition. The most prestigious and popular campuses are the oldest six, often called "BLACKI": IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, and Indore

These institutes are India's top-ranked business schools. Notably, IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta consistently feature among the top 100 global B-schools. As Institutes of National Importance, they offer premier postgraduate management education, with admissions primarily based on the Common Admission Test (CAT).