NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Lahiri Expects Definite Regulatory Improvements in West Bengal

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Lahiri said on October 31 that West Bengal will see definite improvements in its regulatory regime as state governments act on gaps in their rules. ANI News reported his remarks from Kolkata. NITI Aayog is the Government of India's apex policy think tank, advising the Centre, states and Union Territories.

Lahiri's Case for State-Led Reform

Lahiri told the media that states have grown more aware of shortcomings in their regulatory systems and are taking steps to fix them. "State governments now are very aware of the deficiencies of the regulatory regime and they're trying to reform it. I'm very hopeful that in West Bengal we'll see definite improvements in the regulatory regime," he said.

He described reform as an ongoing effort rather than a one-time task. "Reform is a continuous process. It's not that you do it one day and then hang your boots and go away," he said.

Lahiri placed the responsibility for implementation on the states, noting that industries operate within their jurisdictions. "Every industry is in a state. There is no industry at the Centre," he said.

Asked about the West Bengal government's investment performance in its first five months in office, Lahiri said the period was too short for a definite judgement. "Five months is too short a period to come to a definite judgement, but from the statements of the government, from the way they're interacting, I'm quite hopeful that this government will deliver," he said. He also called for the state to regain its standing among India's leading industrial states, saying it had slipped over the years and that "the time has come to redeem Bengal's glory."

NITI Aayog's State-Facing Tools

According to akta.pro company records, NITI Aayog launched the Investment Friendliness Index 2026 in July 2026 as a policy assessment tool for evaluating state-level investment environments. The same records show the think tank engages with all 35 states and Union Territories through cooperative federalism initiatives, and that its Aspirational Districts Programme, launched in January 2018, covers 112 of the country's most under-developed districts.

Earlier Remarks on Bengal's Economy

On October 30, Lahiri criticised Bengal's blanket ban on taking multi-crop land for industry, advocating a case-by-case approach with proper compensation, The Times of India reported. The same day, Deccan Herald reported him saying banks must go beyond lending to unlock West Bengal's industrial potential, noting the state's per capita income is around Rs 2 lakh, below the national average. Fortune India also reported Lahiri calling on banks to act as matchmakers, citing West Bengal's credit-deposit ratio of 47.5% in 2023.

Workshop Set for November

Business Standard reported that NITI Aayog plans a national workshop on "Leadership as Mission" for senior bureaucrats on November 17 in New Delhi.