'Facing problems due to ambiguity in funds' disbursal'

Kolkata, August 20: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said her government was facing difficulty in planning future projects in the state due to ambiguity in the disbursal of funds from the central government. “They have halved the funds for the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme. This is hampering the benefits extended to pregnt women, children and economically weaker sections. We do not know how much is being allotted. They should clear it up. Earlier there was a Planning Commission, a tiol Development Council. Now there is nothing,” Banerjee said at the state secretariat here. She also lashed out at the central government for failing to repair the tiol Highways (NHs) in the state despite repeated requests by her government.

“We have repeatedly asked the Centre for the repair of NHs but received no response. We will not allow the Centre to put the lives of the common people who use the NHs in danger,” she said. “If the central government does not heed our repeated requests on NHs, I will persolly take up the matter and protest in Delhi,” she said. The Trimool Congress supremo said the responsibility of the tiol highways should be given to the state. Banerjee said the West Bengal government had decided to “take up the case of NHs on a higher platform”. Banerjee was speaking to media persons after a review of issues regarding disbursal of funds and their utilisation for various projects in Bengal. She said the matter of farmers getting loans from banks properly through Kisan Credit Cards would also be taken up with the Centre. The chief minister said the state government had spent 99.2 percent of the funds allotted for various projects in 2014-15. (IANS)