Bengal to start 100 day work scheme ‘Khela Hobe’

MP | 22 July 2023 | Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that the state government has a plan to introduce its own 100 days work scheme titled ‘Khela Hobe’ as an alternative to Centre’s scheme after the latter stopped giving funds to Bengal under the same scheme. 

“Despite the Centre not clearing funds for the 100 days work scheme, the Bengal government, on its own, has created 26 man-days. We are working towards starting our own 100 days programme. 

The Bengal government always stands for the poor and will create jobs for them soon. The state government would ensure at least 40-50 days of work for the people who have job cards. The Centre has withheld Rs 7,000 crore under this scheme and stopped the payments of the poor people,” Banerjee said. 

She also said: “The BJP-led central government has halted funds for the 100 Days’ Work Scheme because Bengal had been the best-performing State for the past five years. The BJP government, out of jealousy, has withheld over Rs 60,000 crore of Bengal’s dues.” 

Supporting Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s call for a ‘Dharna’ in Delhi to realise the Centre’s dues, Banerjee said: “We will take our fight to Delhi. 

On October 2, which is Gandhi Jayanti, we will hold a dharna in Delhi, where we will raise our demands for the Centre to release Bengal’s pending dues. The central government takes the money from our state under the guise of GST, and then withholds our funds.” 

Trinamool on August 5 will also hold a block-wise protest, where they will gather at the house of BJP leaders in Bengal. 

“However, I would tell my party workers to be wary, and make sure that the common people are not inconvenienced, because the BJP will then get a chance to spin these issues and blame Trinamool,” Banerjee said. 

Quoting the NITI Aayog survey report, Banerjee said: “NITI Aayog survey states that Bengal has in the past year reduced poverty by 11 per cent, and in the past decade, poverty in Bengal has seen a 26 per cent reduction. 

Across India, unemployment has gone up by 45 per cent, in Bengal, we have reduced unemployment by 40 per cent.” “We have received 70,000-80,000 old age pension requests. We will give the pensions from our state’s exchequer. We will distribute houses to the people under the Banglar bari scheme,” Banerjee further stated. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bengal-to-start-100-day-work-scheme-khela-hobe-526520