Bengal urges Centre to clear all its dues immediately

Kolkata: The Bengal government has requested the Centre to clear all dues that it owes to the state for different projects that was implemented by the state Science and Technology and Biotechnology department.

Bratya Basu, minister of the Science and Technology and Biotechnology department, has placed the demand during a virtual meeting on "National Science and Technology and Innovation Policy 2020" on Thursday. The meeting was headed by Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan. Chief Ministers and Science and Technology ministers of many states also attended the meeting.

Highlighting the success of the Mamata Banerjee government in the field of science and technology, Basu has mentioned about the huge amount that the Centre owes to the state. He urged the Union minister to clear the dues at the earliest to help in continuing with the sustainable development that the state has been witnessing in the past few years. It includes the grant for extension of Patent Information centre under West Bengal Council of Science and Technology.

He also requested to give clearances to the proposals for implementing different projects that has been pending for a long time. Clearance has been sought for setting up biotechnology parks at Kalimpong and some other districts.

He also requested to support state in taking up its own research works and its implementation as per the requirement in the grassroot level.

Basu has raised the issue of failure in implementation of "Innovation Decade" in the past seven years as stated in the National Science and Technology Policy 2013 due to the lack of human resource and financial support.

He also stressed on giving emphasis on innovation and research for further development of the country with emphasis on rural development. At the same time he urged the Union minister to take significant moves to ensure business centric innovation that would lead to employment generation.