West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinmool Suprimo Mamata Banerjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss pending central funds for the state. She, along with nine party MPs, submitted a letter to the Prime Minister and urged him to release funds due to the state.
Trimool Suprimo said, while addressing the press after the meeting, the Prime Minister heard the demands and assured them that he would arrange a joint meeting of central and state government officials to find a solution. She added that 155 central teams have already visited West Bengal, but no result came out.
Further speaking about the pending Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) funds for the state, she said it is mandatory to pay under the construction to pay the money. She also highlighted that the state did not receive any allocation in the budget for 2022-2203 for 100 days of work under MGNREGA.
“We didn’t even get a penny for 100 days of work (under MGNREGA) in the budget for 2022-2023. Not just this, funds for Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojna have been stopped, rural development schemes have been shut, and the health mission programme has also been shut. We are also not getting funds under the Finance Commission,” said Banerjee.
“Our officials have given all the clarification they asked for. The PM has said a joint meeting will be held by the Centre and state officials. I said we have given clarification 155 times. We can do that once again; they can decide the formula,” she said.
CM added that in a federal structure, both the central government and the state have their respective shares, emphasising that it is unjust to withhold funds meant for the welfare of the poor. She asserted that the Centre owes Rs 1.15 lakh crore to West Bengal.
On the other hand, the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, went to Nabanna, the headquarters of the state secretariat, with posters displaying how the Centre’s allocation for several projects has increased in the last few years.
He said, “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went to Delhi and said the central government has stopped money. But the reality is that the state government is stealing the money of common people, and they are continuously lying to people.”
