West Bengal has fared better than national average on various socio-economic indicators: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (July 14, 2025) expressed happiness that a recent report of NITI Aayog had recognised the State’s strong performance across key socio-economic indicators, showing better figures than the national average in several categories.

In a social media post on the report, particularly on employment, Ms. Banerjee said, “The State’s annual unemployment rate for 2022–23 stood at just 2.2%, which is 30% lower than the national average of 3.2%.”

The issue of employment is critical in West Bengal, especially since the State has faced a huge migrant crisis over the past several years.

Ms. Banerjee stated that the NITI Aayog report had pointed out that the average sex ratio in the State stood at 973 female births per 1,000 male births—significantly better than the national average of 889.

“Infant mortality rate: 19 per 1,000 live births (2020), and total fertility rate: 1.6 children per woman (2019–21), both better than national averages,” she said.

The Chief Minister also said that the report noted a steady improvement, including in higher-than-average household access to drinking water, and these achievements “reflect West Bengal’s continued commitment to inclusive and sustainable development”.

Ms. Banerjee who skipped the last NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi in May has often been critical of the Aayog. Last week, the Chief Minister wrote to its vice-chairperson, expressing deep concern that a map intended to show West Bengal in a report had instead printed the map of Bihar.