WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026: 247 Posts Open

The West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC) has opened online applications for the post of Industrial Development Officer (IDO) in the Directorate of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, under the Department of MSME and Textiles, Government of West Bengal. A total of 247 posts are on offer through Advertisement No. 15/2024, and the detailed notification was published on 5 November 2026. Online applications opened on 6 November 2026 and will remain open till 26 November 2026 (up to 3:00 PM).

The Industrial Development Officer is a field-facing role in the state’s micro, small and medium enterprises set-up. Officers in this cadre work with small industrial units, entrepreneurs and district-level industry offices, and the recruitment is therefore of interest to graduates and diploma holders across West Bengal who are looking for a state government career in the industrial development sector. The pay is at Level 10 of the state pay matrix, and the post, though temporary at the outset, is likely to become permanent.

Candidates should note three things at the outset. First, the application window is short — barely three weeks — and both the application and the fee payment close at 3:00 PM on 26 November 2026, not at midnight. Second, the ability to read, write and speak Bengali is an essential condition for this post, and it will be tested at the interview stage. Third, the category-wise break-up of the 247 posts differs between the secondary sources available so far, so this post gives the verified total only and explains the discrepancy below rather than publishing a break-up that does not add up. The complete vacancy position, dates, fee, age limit, eligibility, pay and exam pattern are given below.

WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026 Overview

WBPSC IDO Vacancy Details 2026

The recruitment is for 247 Industrial Development Officer posts in a single cadre, all under the Directorate of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The detailed notification of 5 November 2026, issued in continuation of the indicative advertisement, confirms this total. All 247 posts carry the same pay scale and the same eligibility conditions, so candidates apply for the IDO post itself rather than choosing between different post names.

Why there is no category-wise table in this post: the category-wise split of the 247 posts is reported differently by different secondary sources, and neither version adds up to the confirmed total. One source lists UR 52, SC 14, ST 18, OBC-NCL 72, PwBD 2, EWS 55 and MSP 1, which sums to 214 — not 247. Another source lists UR 123, OBC-NCL 18, EWS 25, SC 52, ST 14, PwBD 9 and MSP 5, which sums to 246. Because the two published break-ups disagree with each other and with the confirmed total of 247, publishing either one as fact would mislead candidates about how many seats exist in their category. Candidates should therefore rely on the total of 247 posts and check the category-wise break-up in the detailed notification on the Commission’s website, psc.wb.gov.in, before applying. This post will be corrected if the official break-up is confirmed from the notification itself.

The post is described as temporary but likely to become permanent. That means selected candidates join on a temporary footing in the first instance, with the post expected to be made permanent in due course — a common arrangement for new state government cadres.

WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026 Important Dates

The closing time matters here: applications and fee payment both close at 3:00 PM on 26 November 2026, not at the end of the day. Candidates should complete and submit the form well before that hour, because the portal usually slows down under heavy traffic in the closing hours and no extension has been announced. After submission, an edit window runs from 27 November to 2 December 2026 (up to 3:00 PM), during which corrections to the submitted application can be made. The date of the written examination has not been announced yet and will be notified later by the Commission.

WBPSC IDO Application Fee 2026

The fee is Rs. 160 plus service charges for General and OBC candidates, and it is payable online only. Candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of West Bengal are exempted from the fee, as are Persons with Benchmark Disabilities with 40% disability or more. The exemption for SC and ST candidates applies to candidates of West Bengal; the same state-specific condition that governs age relaxation is worth keeping in mind. Fee payment must be completed by 3:00 PM on 26 November 2026, the same deadline as the application itself, so candidates should not leave payment to the last hour. Keep the payment receipt and the application number safe, because they will be needed at later stages of the recruitment.

WBPSC IDO Age Limit and Relaxation 2026

Candidates must be between 18 and 44 years of age as on 1 January 2024. The cut-off date is 1 January 2024 — not the date of application — so age is counted as it stood on that date. Relaxation in the upper age limit is available as follows:

• SC and ST candidates of West Bengal: 5 years
• OBC-NCL candidates of West Bengal: 3 years
• PwBD candidates: up to 45 years of age

One condition deserves attention: no age relaxation is available to SC, ST or OBC candidates of states other than West Bengal. A reserved-category candidate from outside West Bengal is therefore treated as a general candidate for age purposes. Candidates should check their exact age as on 1 January 2024 against the limit and the relaxation that applies to them before paying the fee, because an over-age application will be rejected at the scrutiny stage.

WBPSC IDO Eligibility Criteria 2026

The educational qualification for the Industrial Development Officer post is deliberately broad, so that both university graduates and engineering diploma holders can apply:

• Degree of a recognised University, or
• Diploma in Engineering or Technology

Either qualification is sufficient — a candidate needs one of the two, not both. The notification does not prescribe a specific subject or stream for the degree, and no separate experience requirement has been reported for this post.

Bengali language requirement: the ability to read, write and speak Bengali is essential for this post. The only exception is for candidates whose mother tongue is Nepali. This is not a formality — the language ability will be tested at the interview stage, so candidates who cannot read, write and speak Bengali should not apply. Candidates whose mother tongue is Nepali are exempted from this condition.

WBPSC IDO Salary / Pay Scale 2026

Selected candidates will be placed in Pay Level 10 of the state pay matrix, with a pay range of Rs. 32,100 to Rs. 82,900 per month under the West Bengal Services (Revision of Pay and Allowances) Rules, 2019 — commonly called the WBS (ROPA) Rules, 2019. Level 10 is a solid entry-level officer scale in the West Bengal state government, and the pay rises within the range of Rs. 32,100 to Rs. 82,900 over the course of service through annual increments and promotions as per the state rules. As noted above, the post is temporary at present but is likely to be made permanent.

WBPSC IDO Selection Process 2026

Selection is made in two parts, carrying a total of 115 marks:

1. Part-I — Written Examination (100 marks): a single paper of 100 multiple-choice questions, to be completed in 1 hour 30 minutes. Each question carries 1 mark, and there is negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer.
2. Part-II — Interview (15 marks): candidates who qualify in the written examination are called for interview. The Bengali language ability of candidates is tested at this stage.

The final merit list is prepared on the combined marks of the written examination and the interview, out of 115. There is no separate skill test or document verification stage reported in the selection scheme; the interview itself is the second and final stage.

Qualifying marks in the written examination: candidates must score at least the following percentages in Part-I to qualify for the interview:

These are qualifying thresholds, not cut-offs for final selection. Scoring above the qualifying mark makes a candidate eligible for the interview; the final selection depends on the combined score out of 115 and the number of vacancies.

WBPSC IDO Exam Pattern and Syllabus 2026

The written examination (Part-I) is a single paper of 100 multiple-choice questions carrying 100 marks, with a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes and negative marking of 0.25 marks per wrong answer. The paper is divided across seven subjects as follows:

The subject-wise marks add up exactly to 100: 15 + 10 + 15 + 15 + 10 + 15 + 20 = 100. Mental Ability and Arithmetic carries the largest single share at 20 marks, followed by English, Environment and Energy Conservation, Physical Science, and Industrial Scenario and Potential in West Bengal at 15 marks each. Industrial Safety, Security and Pollution Control and Elementary Computer Knowledge carry 10 marks each. The two West Bengal-focused subjects — Industrial Scenario and Potential in West Bengal, and the industrial safety and pollution control section — together account for 25 marks, so candidates should give real attention to the state’s industrial landscape, its small and medium enterprise sector, and the basics of industrial safety and pollution control. Because each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks, blind guessing across 100 questions can pull a score down quickly; candidates should attempt questions they are reasonably sure about and leave genuinely unknown ones unanswered where the marking scheme allows.

How to Apply for WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026

Applications are accepted online only, through the West Bengal Public Service Commission’s website. Follow these steps:

1. Visit the official website psc.wb.gov.in and find the WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026 notification (Advertisement No. 15/2024) and the apply-online link.
2. Read the detailed notification carefully — especially the age cut-off of 1 January 2024, the Bengali language condition, and the fee and relaxation rules — before starting the application.
3. Register on the portal with your personal details to create an account, if you do not already have one.
4. Log in, select the Industrial Development Officer post, and fill in the application form carefully with correct personal, educational and category details.
5. Pay the application fee online (Rs. 160 plus service charges, unless exempted) and submit the form before 3:00 PM on 26 November 2026.
6. Save the application number and a copy of the submitted form for future reference. If any correction is needed, use the edit window from 27 November to 2 December 2026 (up to 3:00 PM).

Double-check every field before the final submit — name, date of birth, qualification, category and contact details — because corrections are only possible inside the edit window. Candidates should also make sure their category claim matches the notification: SC, ST and OBC relaxations and exemptions apply to candidates of West Bengal, and candidates from other states do not get the age relaxation.

WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026 Important Links

No direct notification PDF link is given here because no verified official PDF URL was available at the time of writing; candidates should open the Commission’s website and look for Advertisement No. 15/2024 in the notifications section.

FAQs – WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026

How many posts are there in WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026?

There are 247 Industrial Development Officer posts in the Directorate of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Department of MSME and Textiles, Government of West Bengal, under Advertisement No. 15/2024.

What is the last date to apply for WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026?

The last date to apply online is 26 November 2026, up to 3:00 PM. The fee payment also closes at the same time. Applications opened on 6 November 2026.

What is the application fee for WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026?

The fee is Rs. 160 plus service charges for General and OBC candidates, payable online only. SC and ST candidates of West Bengal and PwBD candidates with 40% disability or more are exempted from the fee.

What is the age limit for WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026?

Candidates must be between 18 and 44 years of age as on 1 January 2024. SC and ST candidates of West Bengal get 5 years of relaxation, OBC-NCL candidates of West Bengal get 3 years, and PwBD candidates can apply up to 45 years of age. SC, ST and OBC candidates of other states get no age relaxation.

What is the qualification for WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026?

A degree of a recognised University or a Diploma in Engineering or Technology. Either qualification is enough. In addition, the ability to read, write and speak Bengali is essential, except for candidates whose mother tongue is Nepali, and this is tested at the interview.

Is Bengali compulsory for WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026?

Yes. The ability to read, write and speak Bengali is an essential condition for the post, and it is tested at the interview stage. The only exception is for candidates whose mother tongue is Nepali.

What is the selection process for WBPSC IDO Recruitment 2026?

Selection is through a written examination of 100 marks (100 MCQs, 1 hour 30 minutes, negative marking of 0.25 per wrong answer) followed by an interview of 15 marks, for a total of 115 marks. The qualifying marks in the written exam are 40% for UR, EWS and MSP, 38% for OBC, 35% for SC and 30% for ST and PwBD candidates.

What is the salary of a WBPSC Industrial Development Officer?

The post carries Pay Level 10, Rs. 32,100 to Rs. 82,900 per month, under the West Bengal Services (Revision of Pay and Allowances) Rules, 2019. The post is temporary at present but is likely to be made permanent.

Can I edit my application after submitting it?

Yes. An edit window runs from 27 November to 2 December 2026, up to 3:00 PM, during which corrections to the submitted application can be made.

When will the WBPSC IDO exam be held?

The examination date has not been announced yet. It will be notified later by the West Bengal Public Service Commission on its official website, psc.wb.gov.in.

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