Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote Wednesday to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking financial assistance of Rs 25,000 crore to fulfil the state government’s commitments of providing free ration to the people and continuing other welfare schemes amid a dip in the revenue at a time when all businesses are shut due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.
In the letter, Mamata Banerjee stated that the West Bengal government needs assistance from the Centre to cope with the unprecedented ‘impasse to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic’.
“Our state (West Bengal) finances like that of many other states, is in a dire situation with practically no revenue flows after the closure of all businesses. Despite this, we have somehow been able to pay the salaries, wages and pensions of government employees this month. And even with the massive debt trap left behind by the previous government, we were able to service the debt so far, but future remains uncertain,” Mamata Banerjee said in the letter to Narendra Modi.
“Furthermore, we are required to meet our commitments towards girl child, students, farmers, unorganised workers, weaker sections, minorities, SC, ST and OBCs. We are also having to honour our commitments of providing free ration to almost nine crore people, who need this so crucially to survive in this perilous time,” added the West Bengal chief Minister.
Mamata Banerjee said the Centre should sanction Rs 25,000 crore to West Bengal and also release the other funds due to the state.
“The Centre has already reduced their devolution to our state by over Rs 11,000 crore and were yet to pay Rs 36,000 crore owed by the GoI (Government of India) to our state,” Banerjee mentioned in the letter.
In a separate development, Mamata Banerjee stated that her government has identified 71 people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin. “Fifty four people from that group have been sent into quarantine. We are monitoring this situation,”she told a press conference here.
Agencies