West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to visit Delhi to take up govt 'bias' on scheme funds

BURDWAN: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee saw yet more discrimination in the Centre's decision to suspend funds for Banglar Bari and Banglar Sadak. She would be going to Delhi soon to take up the cause of Bengal deprived of the benefits of central schemes.
"If states such as Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan can prefix province names to these schemes, why can't West Bengal? Our MPs went to Delhi.I may have to go to Delhi again," Banerjee said at a public rally at Goda in East Burdwan on Monday.
The Centre had been denying wages to MNREGS (100-day work) workers for the last six months, she stold the gathering. "The Centre takes money from Bengal and gives back only a fraction of it. They have no right to deprive Bengal labourers. We will ask the Centre to release funds immediately, else quit the government," the CM said.
Banerjee's remarks came while releasing Rs 2,385 crore for 89 lakh Bengal farmers and 'khet majdoors' as support for their hard work. "We have increased the support money under new Krishak Bandhu Scheme. Now, a farmer owning 1 acre will get Rs 10,000 against Rs 6,000 last year, and a 'khet majdoor' will get Rs 4,000 instead of Rs 2,000," she said.
The CM contrasted her support for people of Bengal with that of BJP. "BJP gave cooking gas connections free under Ujjwala scheme ahead of Lok Sabha polls to catch votes. What has happened to the scheme now? Have you seen any BJP MP coming to your place?"
Banerjee claimed that her priority was to generate employment for youth. "We have 30,000 jobs in the pipeline, to be given by holding job fairs. Youths having skill training will get priority," she said.
The Deocha-Pachami coal mining project in Birbhum alone would generate 1 lakh jobs, she added. The CM also mentioned the industrial hub coming up at Shaktigarh and reminded that Rs 72,000 crore investment would be made in the state freight corridor.
Banerjee then took on the Centre over the Agnipath recruitment scheme and called it a hoax. "Youths applying under the scheme have to undergo four-to-six months' training for a job that would last four years only. What will they do after?"
She warned state officials working at Kisan Mandis against harassing farmers. "I am getting complaints that small farmers going to kisan mandis to sell paddy at government rates are returned for no plausible reason. I would ask farmers to make a complaint at the block development office or lodge an FIR against the mandi official. The DM and SP are directed to take strict action," the CM said.
Addressing recurrent flooding of the lower Damodar basin spread over Bankura, Burdwan, Birbhum and Howrah, Banerjee announced that her government had sanctioned a Rs 3,000 crore scheme for the area.