Kolkata: Reiterating her complaints over the non-release of funds by the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said their government was unable to go ahead with development work in the rural sector due to paucity of Central funds. Banerjee alleged West Bengal owes over Rs 7,000 crore under the MGNREGA and has also stopped releasing money for several schemes, including rural roads and rural housing that are meant for the poor. She urged the Centre to release the requisite funds so that the poor are not deprived of schemes.
"I would request the Centre not to snatch the poor's money. We gave work to 10,000 lakh job card holders, but we did not get money for the work. Work for our rural roads and construction of rural houses have also been stalled due to the shortage of Central funds. Even, construction work for 11 lakh rural houses has stopped due to this," she said at a distributing programme at Panchla in Howrah.
"Had the Centre given us funds then we would have received it? There is nothing to hide," she pointed out. Banerjee's allegation came a week after Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani had asked the Trinamool Congress leaders to check the facts before complaining against the Centre for not releasing funds.
CM Mamata Banerjee complained that the Centre was not granting funds for the construction of rural roads, her government has prepared a Rs 2,000 crore project for the repair of roads that are in deplorable condition in the rural areas. "In Awas Yojana, the money is shared between the Centre and the state on a 60:40 basis. But, the Centre is only busy in how to get publicity while we do the work," Banerjee lamented. The CM said that their government could have done a lot more had there been funds. "The Centre is bound to give money to the state because taxes are collected from us. However, the state does not get its due."
The slow progress of work in the rural areas has come up as a major challenge before the West Bengal government as panchayat polls are around the corner.
We won't allow division of Bengal: "I would never allow Bengal to be divided. We do not support the leaders, who are speaking in favour of dividing the state. We don't want violence, but want peace," Banerjee said.
CM criticises media: Banerjee said a section of the media is working as per the instructions issued by the BJP-led Central government. "You can keep on criticising me throughout the day, but I will continue working for the state's development. I'm not afraid of the insults," she said.
Money deposited by the people getting stored with some businessmen: Without naming Gautam Adani, Banerjee said people deposit their money in banks and LIC, but it is being shifted to some industrialist's account, Mamata Banerjee alleged.
West Bengal has changed: The CM said the Bengal that was in the past has changed completely. "Today, Bengal is a model for the entire country. When unemployment rose by 40 per cent in the country we reduced it by 40 per cent here," she said.
