KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee chose the Teachers'Day to inform the gathering at Netaji Indoor Stadium how the Centre has discontinued support to Sarva Shiksha Aviyan and research support to non-NET students in the state. The CM told teachers the state is funding the projects and urged them to have faith and trust in her government that strives to meet expectations.
The CM's address to teachers on Thursday turned out to be a balance sheet of the state's limited income against its rising expenditure along with the annual debt servicing liability that hit the Rs 55,000-crore mark. "This year's financial outgo on debt servicing is Rs 55,000 crore, which is more than the state's own generation. Yet, we could do in the last eight years what other parties in power couldn't in the last 70 years. There was a time when Bengal used to rank 19th or 20th among states under several categories. Now Bengal has emerged as a model for the country. Kanyashree is a case in point," the CM said.
Mamata then spoke about how many universities and schools have come up during her tenure. "A total 42 universities have been set up in the last eight years when the figure was 12 for the last 70 years. We have set up 7,000 primary and secondary schools, recruited 6,500 college teachers. We have revised salaries of contract teachers from the primary to college level," the CM said. The CM also highlighted the benefits and services that come in Bengal free of cost when the rest of states charge citizens. "We don't charge citizens for drinking water, hospitalization. Most of the states have abolished pension and gratuity for state government employees. We are continuing with the benefits. The government could have saved Rs 10,000 crore if pension was done away with like other states," the CM said.
Mamata also spoke on avenues to increase the income. "Tamil Nadu has excise collection more than our yearly income. But I can't allow setting up of liquour shops in each para to boost revenues," the CM said. She then returned to the Centre-state revenue sharing refrain that was also a major grouse of the preceding Left Front government.
"The Centre takes away Rs 42,000 crore from the state and returns Rs 8,000 crore to Bengal under various schemes. It has denied us Rs 17,000 crore for Sarva Shiksha Aviyan," the chief minister said.
The CM's address to teachers on Thursday turned out to be a balance sheet of the state's limited income against its rising expenditure along with the annual debt servicing liability that hit the Rs 55,000-crore mark. "This year's financial outgo on debt servicing is Rs 55,000 crore, which is more than the state's own generation. Yet, we could do in the last eight years what other parties in power couldn't in the last 70 years. There was a time when Bengal used to rank 19th or 20th among states under several categories. Now Bengal has emerged as a model for the country. Kanyashree is a case in point," the CM said.
Mamata then spoke about how many universities and schools have come up during her tenure. "A total 42 universities have been set up in the last eight years when the figure was 12 for the last 70 years. We have set up 7,000 primary and secondary schools, recruited 6,500 college teachers. We have revised salaries of contract teachers from the primary to college level," the CM said. The CM also highlighted the benefits and services that come in Bengal free of cost when the rest of states charge citizens. "We don't charge citizens for drinking water, hospitalization. Most of the states have abolished pension and gratuity for state government employees. We are continuing with the benefits. The government could have saved Rs 10,000 crore if pension was done away with like other states," the CM said.
Mamata also spoke on avenues to increase the income. "Tamil Nadu has excise collection more than our yearly income. But I can't allow setting up of liquour shops in each para to boost revenues," the CM said. She then returned to the Centre-state revenue sharing refrain that was also a major grouse of the preceding Left Front government.
"The Centre takes away Rs 42,000 crore from the state and returns Rs 8,000 crore to Bengal under various schemes. It has denied us Rs 17,000 crore for Sarva Shiksha Aviyan," the chief minister said.
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