“Around Rs 28,700 crore is due only in regard to our shares in different schemes. Altogether, Rs 68,091 crore is due in devolution from central funds and funds related to Cyclone Bulbul, Super Cyclone Amphan and Yaas,” she said. “The state had received Rs 1,000 crore for Amphan when PM Modi came to Bengal following the cyclone. The state has yet to receive a performance grant of the 14th Finance Commission which is around Rs 1,016 crore,” she added.“Just because we are the opposition and our chief minister is the main face of the opposition, politics is being played. The CM has been very vocal and she has written many letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi also. But it was of no avail,” Bhattacharya, who holds four portfolios including finance as a minister of state, told ET in an interview.The Trinamool has often said that the programmes targeted at women had helped the party retain power in 2021.The state has topped the country in creating employment for women, according to a survey report by Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the minister said.“The social welfare schemes provide self-reliance to women and bring confidence. Women constitute half of the population. If you want to enrich society, there should be a holistic approach. If you forget half of the population, only ‘Ujjwala Yojana’ (scheme of the central government) will not work. The ‘Beti Banchao, Beti Padhao’ is a social campaign, not a scheme. It does not help women financially, while (the Bengal government’s) social welfare schemes like ‘Kanyashree’, ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’, ‘Rupashree’ and ‘Sabujsathi’ directly aid and
women,” said Bhattacharya, who is also Trinamool’s state spokesperson.“Lakshmir Bhander is a scheme where women are getting money in hand, and they are spending it … Our women are getting empowered and then there is cash flow in the state economy,” the minister said.Recently, the principal chief adviser of the Bengal chief minister and former state finance minister, Amit Mitra, said the central government should have put cash in the hands of the people.“People in the country have accepted the fact that Mamata Banerjee is the only person who protests all wrongdoings. She will definitely be a factor in 2024. Among the opposition, Banerjee is a dominant face,” Bhattacharya said.With an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Bhattacharya told ET that the party would raise issues like the use of religion and resorting to communal activities to distract people from issues like high inflation and high fuel prices. “(US President) Biden may praise Modi, but in reality people don’t appreciate this. There was a 307% hike in petrol, diesel (prices) in the last few years. They (union government) have bagged that profit and the state only gets the VAT,” she said.
Source: Economic Times
