Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday criticised the BJP government at the Centre for not releasing funds for central schemes such as the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF). She was in Nadia’s Tehatta to inaugurate several projects, mainly for the district.
“We’ll continue providing funds for the ICDS programme. We have been paying off the interest for the Central government loans taken by the CPI(M) during its tenure. We have to pay Rs 28,000 crore only as interest for the same. Otherwise, we would have funded all Central programmes,” the chief minister said.
She came to Tehatta on Monday and inaugurated several projects while laying the foundation stone of others.
While criticising the BJP government, she did not spare the CPI(M) either, blaming them for the loans taken by them towards the end of their 34-year rule.
“When we start development projects, we complete them. In this way, we keep our promises,” she said.
Blaming the Centre, she said that the Centre is supposed to bear 90% of the cost of ICDS while the state’s share is 10%. “Yet, the Central government has stopped releasing funds for ICDS. What will happen to the kids? So, we’ll continue funding the scheme,” Mamata Banerjee said.
She added that her government would distribute 1,75,000 cycles in Nadia for boys and girls studying in classes 9 to 12 under the Sabuj Sathi scheme.
“Out of 1,75,00 cycles, we are handing over 5,000 today (Monday) and the remaining would be given soon. We have already announced that we will distribute 40 lakh cycles in the state but right now only 25 lakh are available due to lack of production. We hope to hand over all the cycles by January, 2016,” the chief minister said.
She also said that her government has increased the remuneration of civic volunteers and Asha workers. Highlighting her government’s achievements, she described the list of development projects in the district.
