Basis of our 2021 polls will be development: TMC

Kolkata: The ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday released a report card highlighting the massive development projects that have taken place in the last 10 years since its government assumed power for the first time in 2011 under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The senior party leaders present during the event at Trinamool Bhavan reiterated that the party's 2021 Assembly election's poll plank will be its development agenda.

"The people of the state should vote for us examining on their own whether our report card which will be reaching every single doorstep is genuine or not," said Panchayats and Rural Development minister Subrata Mukherjee.

State Education minister Partha Chatterjee, who is also TMC's secretary general, said the party leaders will be reaching out to every nook and corner of the 294 Assembly constituencies of the state with the report card from Friday onwards.

In the last 10 years, Bengal's GDP has grown by 53 percent from Rs 4.51 lakh crore to Rs 6.9 lakh crore, the agriculture and allied sector grew by 30 percent , industrial sector by 60 percent while service sector saw 62 percent growth. The average per person income more than doubled from Rs 51,453 in 2010 to Rs 1.09491 in 2019.

Chatterjee said that the budget allocation in the education sector has gone up to Rs 37,069 crore from Rs 13,872 crore in 2010-11. "Under the Sabuj Sathi scheme, over 84 lakh students have been provided bicycles, 92 lakh have received uniforms and 113 lakh have been given mid-day meals," he added.

Speaking on the government's commitment in the development of backward classes in the state, TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay maintained that in the last 10 years the yearly budget for SC/ST welfare schemes has more than doubled and now exceeds Rs 2,024 crore. "Bengal has created record employment under MGNREGA (100 days' work) by employing 1.31 crore women out of which 78.75 lakh are Adivasis. The number of factory units in the state has risen to 9,534 from 8,322 during the TMC rule," he added.

Chandrima Bhattacharya, Minister of State for Health, highlighted the development in the health sector and emphasised on development for women. "The reservation of women in Panchayats expanded from 33 percent to 50 percent. More than 6.7 lakh SHGs set up are providing employment to nearly 90 lakh rural women with Rs 38,914 crore credit being sanctioned," she added.

Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim said 1.29 crore unorganised workers have been provided medical benefits of up to Rs 60,000 a year with an accidental death benefit of Rs 2 lakh at a total cost of Rs 1,834.62crore.

Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay highlighted the progress in the power sector while Subrata Mukherjee spoke about the government's commitment in respect of 'housing for all' and making the state Open Defecation Free (ODF) under Nirmal Bangla programme.