Mamata hits back at Prime Minister

Kolkata, Feb 8: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the TMC government for not implementing central schemes in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government has sent names of 2.5 lakh farmers to the Centre for inclusion in PM-Kisan scheme but they were yet to get any benefit.
She sought to know why the Union government has yet not disbursed any cash benefit to these eligible beneficiaries under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna.
Speaking in the legislative assembly, Banerjee said the state government had received a list of six lakh applicants from the centre for verification for inclusion in the programme, out of which 2.5 lakh names have been sent to them for financial assistance under the central welfare programme.
After saying no to PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme for more than a year, the West Bengal chief minister had last month softened her government’s stand and agreed to implement the project in the state.
She had rebuffed the key central government farmers programme launched on February 24, 2019, opposing direct cash benefit and instead insisted to route the funds through the state government for disbursal among the farmers. (PTI)