September 29, 2015
WB CM slams Centre for not releasing funds for the poor
The Union Government’s decision to bring down the budget of several social sector schemes will be disastrous, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday at Nabanna.
She said that the Union Government has cut the budget of around 36 important social sector schemes including Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), ICDS project, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, JnNURM projects, development project for Left Wing Extremist (LWE) areas, backward region grant fund (BRGF) scheme during last budget.
“Even no fund for midday meal schemes has been allotted by current government. The Union Government claimed that it has increased fund by 10 percent for each state government but all developmental projects have been affected for cutting the budget of the social sectors,” she said adding that has also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding this matter.
While she praised the ‘Digital India’ campaign, she also said the initiative to launch railway broadband optical fibre network was taken by her in 2001. “I had taken the initiative for this as Railway Minister in 2001. After that it did not progress. It is good that this initiative is being taken now. I welcome the Digital India initiative. Nobody is opposing the concept. But the initiative should begin from the grassroots level,” she said.
“We want a stronger federal structure. The Planning Commission and some other such bodies were abolished by the Union Government,” the CM said and added that real upliftment of the country should be the upliftment of poor people.
“Social economic upliftment must be prioritised. Poor people should not be deprived,” the Chief Minister said.
