Saturday, July 12, 2025
spot_img

Bengal to get Rs.21,614 cr financial package

Date:

Share post:

spot_imgspot_img

KOLKATA:The central government has sanctioned a financial package of Rs.21,614 crore for economically stressed West Bengal, including a grant-in-aid of Rs.9,240 crore, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced here Saturday.

The amount was finalised after a series of meetings between union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his West Bengal counterpart Amit Mitra in New Delhi. Earlier Banerjee had also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mukherjee over the demand.

Zoom Property

“We thank the finance minister and the prime minister. West Bengal was one of three states in debt trap. The finance ministry has sanctioned the amount following the prime minister’s intervention.

The tight situation will somehow ease for some time now,” the chief minister told mediapersons at the state secretariat Writers’ Buildings.

Banerjee said what would really help her government in carrying out development work was a grant-in-aid of Rs.9,240 crore.

“The rest are all loans which we have to repay,” she said.

Banerjee has time and again accused the erstwhile Left Front government of leaving a loan burden of around Rs.2 lakh crore on the state.

“There was no financial monitoring, e-governance and financial management,” she said.

Banerjee indicated that her government would demand more such packages from the central government, saying:

“This is only an initial amount”.

The amount would also comprise Rs.300 crore given as agricultural support, Rs.100 crore for green energy development and Rs.94 crore for carrying out development work in the left-wing extremist affected western districts of the state.

Banerjee said the state would come up with its general budget soon.

Earlier the state government had insisted on coming up with another vote-on-account for the remaining months of the financial year besides a tax bill, which was opposed by the union finance minister.

“Our financial situation is very bad. 89 percent of the money is spent in interest payment. We have to self-sufficient economically,” she said.(IANS)

spot_imgspot_img

Related articles

DRDO and IAF successfully test Astra BVRAAM with indigenous radio frequency seeker from Su-30 Mk-I

New Delhi, July 11: In a significant boost to India's self-reliance in defence technology, the Defence Research and...

Mayank Yadav’s rehab likely to start in coming weeks after undergoing surgery in Christchurch

New Delhi, July 11: Tearaway fast bowler Mayank Yadav is likely to begin his long rehab in the...

Pakistan: 98 killed, 185 injured as monsoon rains wreak havoc

Islamabad, July 11: Torrential monsoon rains and flash floods have claimed at least 98 lives and left 185...

India’s purchase of Russian oil helped bring down global prices: Hardeep Puri

New Delhi, July 11: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday that India’s...