‘State waiting for Centre’s letter on fund clearance post Modi-Mamata meet’

Two weeks have elapsed since Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met the Prime Minister, discussing pending central funds for the state on December 20. 

MP, 5 Jan 2024, Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance that officials from the state and Centre can sit together and address the issue of clearing Bengal’s dues has not translated into action so far as the state secretariat (Nabanna) is yet to receive any letter from the Union government in this regard. 

Two weeks have elapsed since Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met the Prime Minister, discussing pending central funds for the state on December 20. PM Modi had proposed formation of a team with officials from both the state and the Centre who would sit together to resolve the issue. 

Despite assurances from the PM that the issue would be resolved in a time-bound manner, no steps have been taken yet. State government has already formed a task force with the secretaries of four departments and two officers from each department. The departments are Panchayat and Rural Development, Finance, Health and Education. Detailed lists of dues under various departments have been compiled so it can be shared with their counterparts in the Central government. 

During her visit to Kolkata on Wednesday, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Niranjan Jyoti claimed that the Centre has engaged two nodal officers in this regard. Sources said the state government has not received any information from the Centre that two nodal officers were appointed by the latter. 

No communication was made by the Centre. State government has, however, informed the Centre that they have engaged nodal officers from their end. Mamata Banerjee also wrote a memorandum to the PM giving a detailed account of the dues. 

“Dues of nearly Rs 1.16 lakh crore from Government of India are pending on account of various Central government-sponsored schemes and claims for natural disasters over past years. The outstanding dues include ‘core of the core’ social schemes such as MGNREGS, PMAY, PMGSY, NHM etc,” read the letter. 

Sources said the Centre owes around Rs 6,800 crore to Bengal under 100-day work, Rs 14,000 crore under Panchayat department, Rs 8,200 under Awas Yojana. “We didn’t even get a penny for 100 days of work (under MGNREGA) in the budget for 2022-23. 

Funds for (Pradhan Mantri) Aawas Yojna have been stopped, rural development schemes have been shut, and the health mission programme has also been shut,” Banerjee had said earlier. https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/state-waiting-for-centres-letter-on-fund-clearance-post-modi-mamata-meet-546934