West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool chief, Mamata Banerjee, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Centre to clear all pending dues. If the funds are not cleared within the given timeframe, the party has threatened to launch a massive protest. Banerjee made this announcement during a program at Raj Bhavan in celebration of the 75th Republic Day.
According to the West Bengal government, the Centre owes the state a total of Rs 9,330 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Rs 6,900 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Rs 830 crore under the National Health Mission, Rs 770 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Rs 350 crore under the Swachh Bharat Mission, Rs 175 crore for mid-day meals, and additional funds under various other schemes.
Banerjee had previously met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 20 to discuss the issue of pending central funds. Following the meeting, PM Modi proposed that officials from both the state and Centre sit together to resolve the matter. In line with this, a team of state government officers recently visited New Delhi and submitted a detailed report on alleged irregularities in the 100 days’ work scheme, along with the measures taken to address them.
This is not the first time the Trinamool Congress has raised concerns about the delay in the release of central funds. In November, TMC MLAs, led by Banerjee, staged a protest within the state assembly premises. Additionally, the party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, held a protest dharna at Rajghat in New Delhi on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, demanding the release of funds by the Centre.
In response to Banerjee’s ultimatum, senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha took a jibe at the Trinamool Congress supremo, stating that her nephew’s threats to wage a sustained movement against the Centre on the same issue had failed to gain public support. Sinha referred to Banerjee’s actions as an attempt to revive an issue that had already been rejected by the public.
The Trinamool Congress’s ultimatum to the Centre highlights the ongoing tensions between the state government and the central government regarding pending funds. The next seven days will determine whether the Centre takes the necessary steps to clear the dues or if the Trinamool Congress follows through with its threat of a massive protest.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has issued a 7-day ultimatum to the central government over pending funds. Banerjee has demanded immediate release of the outstanding dues amounting to Rs 85,000 crore (approximately $11.4 billion) that the state is owed for various centrally-sponsored schemes. She has warned of strong protests if the funds are not disbursed within the stipulated time. The chief minister has accused the central government of discriminating against West Bengal and neglecting its responsibilities. The pending funds are crucial for the state’s development and welfare programs, and their release is being seen as a matter of urgency by the state government.
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