The West Bengal Incentive Scheme: Waiver of Electricity Duty

The "Waiver of Electricity Duty" operates as a sub-scheme within "The West Bengal Incentive Scheme," which the Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal, introduced on February 22, 2021. The parent scheme is designed to promote self-employment and job generation through financial support for new entrepreneurs. This sub-scheme, effective until December 31, 2025, furthers that goal by providing a notable financial benefit to qualifying tourism projects and hotel units.

By removing the electricity duty on consumption, the programme aims to lower operating expenses, improve business competitiveness, and encourage the steady expansion of tourism enterprises in the state. It is intended to stimulate investment and the development of tourism-related infrastructure throughout West Bengal.

**Registration Process:** - Go to the official Shilpasathi portal (https://silpasathi.wb.gov.in/) and select ‘Apply online’. - Those who are new must choose ‘Create New’, pick the correct entity type (Industry /Business /Commercial /Charitable Society/ Govt. entity), and provide the relevant Registration number. - Complete every mandatory field in the ‘User Registration’ window with accurate information and press ‘Register’. Returning users may ‘Sign In’ with their valid User ID, password, and Captcha code.

**Application Process:** - Access the Shilpasathi portal by logging in with your credentials. - On the user dashboard, choose ‘ALL SERVICES’ to see the list of available services. - Tick the check box next to the service labelled ‘Tourism Incentive’. - Press ‘Create CAF’ to obtain a unique CAF ID, then select ‘Apply Online’ to move forward with the application. - Provide all required information in the common application form. - Upload every relevant document needed for the certificate’s issuance and press ‘Save & Continue’. - Check the completed application and all supplied details for final confirmation. - Mark the Declaration checkbox at the bottom left of the page before pressing the ‘Submit’ button. - Applicants get notifications via SMS and email at key stages of application processing (submission, approval, or rejection). - After all steps are finished and the authority grants approval, applicants can obtain the approved Registration certificate from the online system by pressing ‘Download Certificate’.

**Important Note:** The full procedure for receiving incentives requires first obtaining a Registration Certificate, then a Date of Commencement Certificate, and finally an Eligibility Certificate from the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited. Once all three certificates are in hand, eligible units may apply for various incentives, including the electricity duty waiver, through dedicated online forms.

Applications are submitted online via the Shilpasathi portal. A preliminary review confirms that all mandatory documents are in place and that the applicant meets the stated eligibility conditions. The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited is central to the assessment, issuing the Registration Certificate, Date of Commencement Certificate, and Eligibility Certificate only after it is fully satisfied with the project’s setup and adherence to requirements.

Once the applicant unit has obtained all requisite certificates, the competent authority grants final approval for the electricity duty waiver. This staged verification procedure is designed to restrict the incentive to tourism projects that are demonstrably eligible and compliant.