Bengal has blocked over 80 central schemes, says Amit Shah

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, November 5

BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said more than 80 welfare schemes meant for the marginalised sections had been blocked in West Bengal by the Mamata Banerjee regime.

Shah, who landed in Kolkata on Wednesday evening for a two-day tour of the state, told this to mediapersons after garlanding the statue of Santhal hero Birsa Munda at Bankura on Thursday.

Shah said the schemes not being implemented in West Bengal were meant for the poor, Dalits, the tribes and the backward people.

Minister’s old host gets job from Mamata

Tribal woman Geeta Mahali, who had hosted Shah three years ago at her home in Naxalbari village, received an appointment letter from the West Bengal Government’s Home Department on Thursday for working as special home guard. Meanwhile, Shah had lunch at the house of tribal BJP worker Bibhishan Hansda in Chaturdihi village in Bankura district. It was a vegetarian platter of Bengali delicacies.

“Those who are in the grip of extreme poverty are not benefitting from the central schemes meant to help them in their livelihood needs,” Shah said.

Noting that Bankura was having substantial tribal population, Shah said they were entitled to benefit from the housing scheme for tribes unveiled by the central government. But, the funds were not reaching them because of the state government, he alleged.

Shah said similarly farmers were being deprived of the Rs 6000 annually given to them by the Centre under a scheme. The Mamata government has also prevented the central government from bringing Bengal under the ambit of the Rs five lakh health insurance coverage meant for poor, he said.

He claimed that since his arrival in Kolkata last evening, he noticed that the public was hugely angry with CM Mamata Banerjee. Public was keen on a positive change to take place in the state under the leadership PMModi, he said.