Didi demonises Delhi but misses the devil in the detail

Pranesh Sarkar and Subhasish Chaudhur, TT, Nov. 23: Mamata Banerjee today accused the Centre of coming in the way of the state's development by discontinuing several schemes and curtailing funds for some.

The Bengal chief minister's claims are not new. But unlike in the past, Mamata today named the schemes for which funds have been curtailed or stopped to corroborate her view that the state was suffering because of the Centre's policies.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley had in June explained in a Facebook post that central devolution for Bengal had increased under the BJP regime following recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission (see chart).

The Telegraph compares the chief minister's assertions with information from Nabanna officials.

Claim: The chief minister said the Centre had drastically slashed funds for the integrated child development scheme (ICDS), 90 per cent of whose expenditure was shouldered by Delhi earlier.

"They can discontinue the project, we cannot. Now, the state government is shouldering the Centre's 90 per cent funding. Despite this, we want the scheme to continue," Mamata said in Nadia's Tehatta.

Fine print: As of now, the Centre has proposed to change the funding pattern of the scheme.

"It is expected that the Centre would provide 50 per cent of the expenditure to run the scheme. The state has to shoulder the rest," an official said. He added that it would cost the Bengal government an additional Rs 150 crore.

Claim: Mamata said the Centre had discontinued funds for modernising the police force.

Fine print: The scheme is in the list of plans discontinued in 2015-16. But senior Nabanna officials said a major portion of the funds provided by the Centre for modernising police forces was part of the 13th Finance Commission's recommendations. The tenure of the 13th Finance Commission ended on March 31, 2015.

"Besides, the state government failed to use over Rs 150 crore allotted by the commission for the modernisation purpose," an official said.

Claim: Mamata said funds to run Sishu Siksha Kendras (SSKs) and Madhyamik Siksha Kendras (MSKs) had been stopped.

Fine print: Bengal has 18,000 SSKs and 2,000 MSKs that are run by the panchayat department. For these, the Centre used to provide 65 per cent of the salary bills of 75,000 teachers engaged in the units.

The Centre has not stopped the funds but changed the funding pattern. "The Centre has proposed to bear 50 per cent of the salary amount. The change will cost the state an additional Rs 5 crore a month," a state government official said.

Besides, the central salary assistance never covered the 498 SSKs and MSKs run by the minority affairs department.

Claim: The chief minister asserted that funds for Jungle Mahal's development had been discontinued.

Fine print: There is no scheme called Jungle Mahal development funds. Mamata perhaps referred to the Integrated Action Plan, which was introduced for Maoist-infested areas in 2011-12. The scheme has been transferred to the states from 2015-16.

According to an official, the Centre's decision should not hurt the Bengal government much as it used to get only Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore annually under the scheme.

Claim: Mamata alleged that the Centre had discontinued the backward regions grant funds (BRGF), which focused on development in backward blocks of the state by laying roads, building schools and hospitals and providing drinking water facilities.

Fine print: The scheme has been withdrawn. The responsibility of undertaking development projects in these areas has been transferred to the states because they are in a better position to design schemes and implement them.

Senior government officials said the Centre took the step as the states have been getting more untied funds in the form of tax devolution.

"Although the chief minister is pressing for BRGF funds, the state is yet to claim around Rs 3,500 crore under the special BRGF package granted by the Centre in 2011-12. Bengal is yet to submit utilisation certificates for Rs 5,000 crore it has already received under the package," an official said.

Claim: Funds for some backward classes welfare schemes - with which the state government distributed scholarships - have been curtailed, Mamata said.

Fine print: "The funding for scholarships is still there... but the system has changed. The Centre has decided to directly transfer the funds to the bank accounts of beneficiaries," an official said.

Claim: Subsidy on LPG for mid-day meals has been discontinued, the chief minister said.

Fine print: The Centre has stopped the largesse in an attempt to prune the subsidy bill on fuels.