• CM Mamata Banerjee: No funds from Centre, will not start new projects

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    CM Mamata Banerjee: No funds from Centre, will not start new projects
    Digital Desk: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the state had not received any funds from the Centre and that the state government would not be starting new undertakings.

    This response came on Thursday when CM Mamata Banerjee pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic has severely hit the state's revenues. 

    The CM stated that the state’s revenue collection has dropped by a wide margin due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    “The Centre owes us more than Rs 90,000 cr. We have not obtained any funds from the Centre. No schemes which are not backed in the budget will be carried up. Solely the Chief Secretary and Finance Secretary can allocate new work orders,” Banerjee expressed at a conference of state administrative officials. 

    More than 1.2 million students from class 10 and approximately 900,000 lakh students studying in class 12 were supposed to be benefited from the scheme. 

    However, approximately 114,000 learners have applied for credit cards to date. Out of this, while around 14,000 applications have already been approved, another 25,000 applications have been provisionally authorized.

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    According to sources, “The government is encountering fund deficits to operate the state. That is why the Chief Minister has begun considering of additional avenues to improve the treasury. Today, she ordered that, from February 7, all the truck terminals at the boundary will be utilized by the transport division. Currently, the truck terminals are maintained by private operators and they collect parking and additional charges from the truck drivers. From February 7, those charges will be collected by the government and will support growth coffers.”

    “The banks are ascertaining to be the biggest barrier. They are not cooperating with the government. I have often requested the education department to take the service of the cooperative branch and review why it is lagging,” stated Banerjee.

    The Chief Minister counted that if any state-owned bank opposed providing education loans to students, a cooperative bank should be pledged. “If the cooperative banks have the same objection, the government will call them and speak to them.”

    Mamata Banerjee also revealed the state’s objectives to observe Durga Puja later during the year. In December 2021, Unesco’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage had placed “Durga Puja in Kolkata” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.