{"id":"in-west-bengal","country":"in","kind":"state","name":{"en":"West Bengal","local":"পশ্চিমবঙ্গ"},"languages":["bn","hi","ne","en"],"currency":"INR","symbol":"₹","fxPerUsd":94,"cities":{"T1":"Kolkata","T2":"Siliguri","T3":"Bankura"},"basket":{"teaCup":8,"simpleMeal":70,"haircutMen":70,"milkLitre":56,"breadLoaf":40,"unskilledDayWage":450,"minWageMonthly":10558,"shopRentSqftMonth":{"T1":150,"T2":70,"T3":22},"electricityCommercialKwh":8.1,"lpgCommercialCylinder":2954,"petrolLitre":113.51},"tax":{"salesTax":"GST 5/18% (national)","smallBizThreshold":"₹40 lakh goods / ₹20 lakh services (national)","localLevies":"Professional tax ₹110–200/month on salaries above ₹10,000 (max ₹2,400/yr); KMC enlistment fee by trade"},"licences":[{"name":"Certificate of Enlistment (trade licence), Kolkata Municipal Corporation, s.199 KMC Act 1980","fee":"By trade and area: ₹60 (≤60 sq ft) to ₹20,000 per year + ₹50 processing; e.g. non-AC beauty parlour ₹2,725","authority":"KMC Licence Department","source":"https://calcguru.in/?p=5216"},{"name":"Registration under West Bengal Shops and Establishments Act 1963","fee":"Separate from enlistment; fee by employees (2026 amount not found)","authority":"Labour Department","source":"https://www.labour.wb.gov.in/sites/default/files/upload/notice/Labr_1701_Estt.pdf"}],"festivals":[{"name":"Durga Puja","dates2026_27":"15–21 Oct 2026 (2027 in early Oct)","effect":"The year's peak: food, clothing and street-food sales ×2–5 for a week; offices shut 4–5 days; pandal-area vending"},{"name":"Kali Puja / Diwali","dates2026_27":"8 Nov 2026","effect":"Sweets, lamps, firecracker restrictions; second autumn peak"},{"name":"Jagaddhatri Puja (Chandannagar, Krishnanagar)","dates2026_27":"about 17 Nov 2026","effect":"Local pandal-hopping demand in Hooghly/Nadia"},{"name":"Poila Baishakh (Bengali New Year, Haal Khata)","dates2026_27":"15 Apr 2027","effect":"Traders open new ledgers; customers settle udhaar; sweets and clothes peak"},{"name":"Saraswati Puja","dates2026_27":"about 11 Feb 2027","effect":"Student and household puja; sweets, flowers, khichuri bhog"},{"name":"Christmas / Park Street","dates2026_27":"25 Dec 2026","effect":"Bakery and cake peak in Kolkata"}],"seasons":[{"months":"Apr–May","what":"Pre-monsoon heat and Kalbaishakhi (nor'wester) storms"},{"months":"Jun–Sep","what":"Monsoon; Kolkata waterlogging shuts low-lying markets for hours to days"},{"months":"Oct–Nov, May","what":"Bay of Bengal cyclone windows (coastal and Kolkata)"},{"months":"Jun–Sep (hills)","what":"Darjeeling/Kalimpong landslides cut roads to Siliguri"}],"payments":{"digitalShare":"about 55–70% in Kolkata; 35–50% in T3","credit":"udhaar ('dhaar') common; settled at Haal Khata on Poila Baishakh"},"notes":"West Bengal combines one of India's lowest legal wage floors (₹10,558/month unskilled in Zone A, ₹9,760 rural) with cheap street food — Kolkata's ₹6–10 clay-cup tea and ₹60–80 fish-rice meals are among the lowest metro prices — but Kolkata high-street and mall rents are high (mall vanilla stores ₹171–192/sq ft in 2026). Commercial power is slabbed and mid-priced (WBSEDCL ≈₹8/unit with 10% duty; CESC in Kolkata). Durga Puja in October is the single biggest week for every consumer business. The May 2026 election brought the first BJP government, so welfare schemes, hawker policy and licence rules may shift. Floods, waterlogging and Bay of Bengal cyclones are recurring disruptions.","factors":[{"id":"P01","cat":"Wages","name":"Minimum wage, unskilled, shops, Zone A (municipal areas)","value":"₹406/day, ₹10,558/month (1 Jul–31 Dec 2026)","role":"HV","source":"https://hrengage.ai/compliance/minimum-wages/west-bengal","estimate":false},{"id":"P02","cat":"Wages","name":"Minimum wage, unskilled, Zone B (rural)","value":"₹375/day, ₹9,760/month","role":"HV","source":"https://hrengage.ai/compliance/minimum-wages/west-bengal","estimate":false},{"id":"P03","cat":"Wages","name":"Minimum wage, semi-skilled / skilled, Zone A","value":"₹447/day (₹11,615) semi-skilled; ₹491/day (₹12,777) skilled; highly skilled ₹541","role":"HV","source":"https://hrengage.ai/compliance/minimum-wages/west-bengal","estimate":false},{"id":"P04","cat":"Wages","name":"Typical informal shop helper pay (T2)","value":"₹7,500–10,000/month (Siliguri); ₹9,000–12,000 (Kolkata)","role":"HV","source":"Est.: informal helpers commonly paid at or below the state floor; based on the state unskilled minimum and the national informal-helper presets in the BizGame shared constants (T2 ₹9–13k)","estimate":true},{"id":"P05","cat":"Rent","name":"Small shop rent, T1 (Kolkata)","value":"₹150/sq ft/month","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Kolkata mall vanilla-store rent ₹170.8/sq ft/month in Q1 2026 (JLL); a small high-street shop set slightly below at ₹150 — https://research.jllapsites.com/appd-market-report/q1-2026-retail-kolkata/","estimate":true},{"id":"P06","cat":"Rent","name":"Small shop rent, T2 (Siliguri)","value":"₹70/sq ft/month","role":"HV","source":"Est.: no 2026 high-street rent survey found for this city; reasoned from the BizGame national presets (T1 ₹80–150, T2 ₹35–70, T3 ₹15–30 per sq ft/month) and the city's size and land scarcity","estimate":true},{"id":"P07","cat":"Rent","name":"Small shop rent, T3 (Bankura)","value":"₹22/sq ft/month","role":"HV","source":"Est.: no 2026 high-street rent survey found for this city; reasoned from the BizGame national presets (T1 ₹80–150, T2 ₹35–70, T3 ₹15–30 per sq ft/month) and the city's size and land scarcity","estimate":true},{"id":"P08","cat":"Energy","name":"Commercial electricity, small shop (~200 units/month)","value":"WBSEDCL commercial slabs ₹5.77 (0–60) → ₹9.02 (300+)/unit; 200 units ≈ ₹7.4 + 9.9% duty ≈ ₹8.1/unit; fixed ₹60/kVA/month (2025-26 order, unchanged); CESC Kolkata ₹6.57–9.26","role":"HV","source":"https://thediscombill.com/tariffs/west-bengal/","estimate":false},{"id":"P09","cat":"Energy","name":"Commercial LPG 19 kg cylinder","value":"₹2,954 (25 Oct 2026; national Delhi reference ₹2,810)","role":"HV","source":"https://www.goodreturns.in/lpg-price.html","estimate":false},{"id":"P10","cat":"Energy","name":"Domestic LPG 14.2 kg (illegal for commercial use)","value":"₹968","role":"HV","source":"https://www.goodreturns.in/lpg-price.html","estimate":false},{"id":"P11","cat":"Energy","name":"Petrol, per litre","value":"₹113.51 (25 Oct 2026)","role":"HV","source":"https://www.goodreturns.in/petrol-price.html","estimate":false},{"id":"P12","cat":"Tax","name":"Professional tax","value":"Monthly: nil ≤₹10,000; ₹110 / ₹130 / ₹150 / ₹200 above ₹40,000; max ₹2,400/yr","role":"HV","source":"https://calcguru.in/professional-tax-india-state-wise-guide-fy-2026-27/","estimate":false},{"id":"P13","cat":"Tax","name":"GST registration threshold / composition","value":"National thresholds apply (₹40 lakh goods / ₹20 lakh services); composition up to ₹1.5 crore","role":"PD","source":"https://cleartax.in/s/special-category-states-in-gst","estimate":false},{"id":"P14","cat":"Prices","name":"Cup of tea, roadside (T2)","value":"₹8","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Siliguri/Kolkata roadside tea ₹8 (Kolkata bhaar chai ₹6–10); national chai notes put a tapri cup at ₹10–15 with milk ~55% of cost; set from the state milk price and wage level","estimate":true},{"id":"P15","cat":"Prices","name":"Simple veg meal / thali (T2)","value":"₹70","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Siliguri/Kolkata fish-rice or veg meal ₹60–80 in Kolkata 'pice hotels'; scaled from the national street-food meal band (₹60–120) by state wage and rent level","estimate":true},{"id":"P16","cat":"Prices","name":"Men's haircut, basic salon (T2)","value":"₹70","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Siliguri/Kolkata ₹60–80; scaled from the national salon notes (basic men's cut ₹80–150 urban, ₹50–80 T3)","estimate":true},{"id":"P17","cat":"Prices","name":"Packet milk, per litre (toned/standard)","value":"≈₹56/L toned (Banaful/Mother Dairy Kolkata, after May 2026 ₹2 hike)","role":"HV","source":"Est.: national +₹2/L hike from 14 May 2026 applied to 2025 Kolkata toned price (~₹54); state dairy Banaful tracks Mother Dairy","estimate":true},{"id":"P18","cat":"Prices","name":"Bread loaf, 400 g (T2)","value":"₹40","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Siliguri/Kolkata ₹40; national branded 400 g loaf ₹40–50 plus freight to the state","estimate":true},{"id":"P19","cat":"Wages","name":"Casual unskilled day wage, open market (T2)","value":"₹450/day","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Siliguri casual labour ₹450/day; open-market casual rates run at or slightly above the notified unskilled floor in towns (MGNREGA and construction rates as lower/upper anchors)","estimate":true},{"id":"P20","cat":"Demographics","name":"Per-capita income (GSDP per capita, current prices)","value":"₹1,98,451 (2025–26); about 79% of national","role":"HV","source":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_states_and_union_territories_by_GDP_per_capita","estimate":false},{"id":"P21","cat":"Demographics","name":"Urbanisation (Census 2011; Census 2027 pending)","value":"31.9% urban","role":"HV","source":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_union_territories_of_India_by_urban_population","estimate":false},{"id":"P22","cat":"Language","name":"Business languages","value":"Bengali (official); Hindi in Kolkata trade; Nepali in Darjeeling hills; English","role":"HV","source":"Est.: West Bengal Official Language Act 1961 (amended 2012 for additional languages); Census 2011","estimate":true},{"id":"P23","cat":"Payments","name":"Digital (UPI) share of small-shop takings","value":"about 55–70% in Kolkata; 35–50% in T3","role":"HV","source":"Est.: national UPI is 86.8% of retail payment volume (Q1 FY27, CareEdge) but street/kirana merchant shares are far lower; scaled down for this state's income and urbanisation — https://www.outlookbusiness.com/amp/story/news/upi-emerges-as-dominant-retail-payment-system-with-transaction-volume-share-at-87-careedge","estimate":true},{"id":"P24","cat":"Payments","name":"Credit culture","value":"udhaar ('dhaar') common; settled at Haal Khata on Poila Baishakh","role":"HV","source":"Est.: kirana/udhaar pattern from BizGame kirana notes, adjusted for state income level","estimate":true},{"id":"P25","cat":"Currency","name":"INR per USD","value":"₹95.7 (RBI reference, Sep 2026)","role":"HV","source":"https://www.wisemonk.io/blogs/indias-minimum-wage-guide-in-usd","estimate":false},{"id":"P26","cat":"Licences","name":"KMC Certificate of Enlistment","value":"Fee by trade & area (₹60–20,000/yr, +₹50); valid 1/3/5/15 years; online issue real-time; 50%/month late fine; renewal within 3 months of expiry","role":"HV","source":"https://calcguru.in/?p=5216","estimate":false},{"id":"P27","cat":"Licences","name":"Shops & Establishments registration","value":"Required separately under WB Shops & Establishments Act 1963 alongside enlistment","role":"HV","source":"https://www.labour.wb.gov.in/sites/default/files/upload/notice/Labr_1701_Estt.pdf","estimate":false},{"id":"P28","cat":"Rules","name":"Change of government (May 2026)","value":"BJP won ~207 of 294 seats; first BJP government — schemes (Lakshmir Bhandar), hawker and licence policies may be revised","role":"RE","source":"https://moneylife.in/article/3-cms-out-new-power-centres-rise-bjp-sweeps-bengal-retains-assam-congress-finds-solace-in-kerala/80377.html","estimate":false},{"id":"P29","cat":"Rules","name":"Hawker regulation (Kolkata)","value":"Pavement vending tolerated under KMC hawker surveys; periodic eviction drives (precedent Jun–Jul 2024)","role":"RE","source":"Est.: Kolkata street-vending pattern; 2026 policy under new government unknown","estimate":true},{"id":"P30","cat":"Festivals","name":"Durga Puja","value":"15–21 Oct 2026; Maha Ashtami 19 Oct; food/clothing ×2–5, 4–5 shutdown days for offices; pandal stalls","role":"HV","source":"https://www.freepressjournal.in/lifestyle/durga-puja-2026-a-complete-guide-to-dates-traditions-rituals-and-celebrations","estimate":false},{"id":"P31","cat":"Festivals","name":"Poila Baishakh / Haal Khata","value":"15 Apr 2027: new ledgers opened, udhaar settled; sweets and clothes peak","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Bengali New Year is 14/15 Apr each year","estimate":true},{"id":"P32","cat":"Festivals","name":"Kali Puja / Diwali and Jagaddhatri Puja","value":"8 Nov 2026 and ~17 Nov 2026: second autumn peak","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Hindu calendar dates","estimate":true},{"id":"P33","cat":"Climate","name":"Kolkata waterlogging","value":"Heavy monsoon rain floods low-lying markets for hours to days; footfall and stock losses","role":"RE","source":"Est.: recurring KMC drainage failures each monsoon","estimate":true},{"id":"P34","cat":"Risk","name":"Bay of Bengal cyclone","value":"May and Oct–Nov windows; Sundarbans/coastal districts worst hit; Kolkata closures 1–2 days","role":"RE","source":"Est.: IMD cyclone climatology (Amphan 2020, Remal 2024 precedents)","estimate":true},{"id":"P35","cat":"Risk","name":"Bandh / political strike","value":"Statewide bandhs and post-poll violence (2026 election) can close markets for 1–2 days","role":"RE","source":"Est.: West Bengal's long bandh culture; frequency reduced in recent years","estimate":true},{"id":"P36","cat":"Risk","name":"Hill road closure (Darjeeling–Siliguri)","value":"Monsoon landslides on NH-10/NH-110 cut tourist trade and supplies","role":"RE","source":"Est.: annual monsoon landslides in Darjeeling/Kalimpong","estimate":true}]}