State has got over 1 cr people out of poverty level: Minister

MP, 10 Feb 2024, Kolkata: State Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharjee made it clear on Saturday that the state Budget that was tabled in the state Assembly on Thursday was not intended for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections but for showing respect to the common people, including women in the state. 

She further clarified that the majority of the state government departments had submitted utilisation certificates (UC) refuting BJP’s allegations supported by a CAG report that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government did not furnish utilisation certificates for various central schemes, totalling nearly Rs 2 lakh crore. 

“The report from several departments shows that there is no pendency of utilisation certificates. All these reports are from the central government only. If the state has not given the utilisation certificates then why did the central government release the next instalment of funds? 

Then why we should not conclude that they are also involved in unfair practice?” 

Bhattacharjee said in her reply speech following two days of discussion on the state Budget. She maintained that the central government was attempting to influence central agencies, compelling them to tailor reports to suit their preferences. 

“They are presenting a report from 2002/03 to 2021. How can an agency generate an 18-year report? This is merely an attempt to inflate the financial report,” she added. She claimed that the state government, in the last few years, has taken 1.72 crore people out of the poverty level. 

“We have been successful in bringing down the debt-GSDP ratio from 40 to 36 where the central government’s debt-GSDP ratio is 56. Our capacity of taking loans from the market stems from this,” she said. 

The Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari’s speech opposing the state Budget witnessed a verbal confrontation between the MLAs of the ruling TMC Congress and the BJP. 

When Adhikari asserted that the state government used funds from the 15th Finance Commission to pay the electric bill, TMC MLA from Tarakeshwar, Ramendu Sinha Ray made a passing comment labelling the Central government as a ‘thief’. 

Soon after the speech of the Leader of the Opposition was over, the BJP legislators walked out of the House giving party slogans without listening to the reply speech from the state Finance minister. 

A visibly angry speaker, Biman Banerjee said: “This is not acceptable. If the Opposition behaves in a similar manner then I may resort to expunging the entire speech of the Opposition”. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/state-has-got-over-1-cr-people-out-of-poverty-level-minister-551614