Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the state budget session said that the state government is about to get 90 thousand crore from the central government.
“Despite the odds faced by the state government, it has always focuses on social, women and child welfare schemes. 40-45 per cent of money is being taken by the central government in the name of tax and in return is not helping the states,” said Mamata.
It can be noted that the West Bengal government will receive over rupees 952 crore loan assistance from the World Bank to support its social welfare schemes under the ‘Jai Bangla’ initiative. According to state government sources, a tripartite agreement between the Centre, Bengal government and World Bank was signed on Thursday.
Under the agreement, the World Bank has signed a USD 125 million (rupees 952.6 crore) loan pact to support the state government’s effort in alleviating the poor and vulnerable groups by giving them access to various social protection schemes.
The Bengal government runs more than 400 programmes that provide social assistance, care services, and jobs, and most of these services are offered under the umbrella platform ‘Jai Bangla’.
Meanwhile, BJP walked out of the House claiming that the state budget is the replica of central schemes.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that by changing the names of the schemes the TMC government has ‘replicated’ the central government schemes.
“From Jal Jeevan to Ayushman Bharat, the state government had replicated all the schemes of the central government. On one side she slams the BJP led central government and on the other side she is replicating BJPs schemes. In order to protest this atrocity we (BJP) have walked out of the budget session,” said Adhikari.
Meanwhile, state Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on Friday presented rupees 3.21-lakh crore budget for the 2022-23 fiscal, amidst protest from BJP.
Slamming BJP, Mamata claimed that she had never seen such ‘hooliganism’.
Budget allocation:
Mass Education & Library Services - Rs. 387.40 Cr
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises & Textiles - Rs. 1159.99 Cr
Minority Affairs & Madrasah Edu - Rs. 5,004.05 Cr
Non-conventional & Renewable Energy Sources - Rs. 75.50 Cr
North Bengal Development - Rs. 797.43 Cr
Panchayats & Rural Development - Rs. 25,181.83 Cr
Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs - Rs. 693.56 Cr
Personnel & Administrative Reforms - Rs. 370.77 Cr
Planning and Statistics - Rs. 523.46 Cr
Power - Rs. 2,838.87 Cr
