Thaindian News

Kolkata, Feb 6 (IANS) Rejecting Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s claim that the Mamata Banerjee-led dispensation has been given about Rs.8,000 crore aid in its first few months in office, the West Bengal government Monday it was yet to get a “single paisa” from New Delhi.

Describing Singhvi’s claim Sunday as “absolutely incorrect”, state Finance Minister Amit Mitra said: “I hope he will correct himself. He is perhaps ill-informed.

Countering the debt-ridden state government’s stand that it was being ignored by the central government, Singhvi Sunday said that “within these few months the central government has given near about Rs.8,000 crore to this state”.

“So far we have not got a single paisa from the centre as relief package. He (Singhvi) is a good lawyer. I appreciate being a lawyer, he may not understand economics at all,” Mitra said.

Mitra said on the contrary, the central government was deducting over Rs.22,000 crore annually from the state treasury as the erstwhile Left Front regime had left a debt burden of Rs.233,000 crore.

“You can imagine the massive infrastructural developments we could have done with these Rs.22,000 crore. This is only because of the debt bequeathed to us by the LF government. And this is the key to the state’s financial crisis,” he said.

The finance minister said the state was yet to receive any money from the central government as the backward area grant. “We have submitted a detailed project report. It is now under the consideration of the planning commission. After its sanction, the matter will go to the finance ministry which will decide about giving the money to the state”.

He said in 2005-06, the Bihar government had been given a backward area grant of Rs.8,500 crore. Other states have also got such grants.

“Perhaps he got confused,” Mitra added.