Guv highlights pro-people schemes of state govt in Budget session speech

Kolkata: Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar highlighted various schemes run by the state government during his speech at the inaugural Budget session in the Assembly and also touched upon the aspects which have benefitted a large number of people in the state.

Dhankhar said that Bengal has experienced the highest decline in poverty among the large states, between the period of 2011-12 and 2017-18. During the period, the unemployment rate in the state has been reduced by about 40 percent, whereas the country has registered the highest unemployment rate in the last 45 years.

Keeping aside all controversy that had brewed up in the state following an apparent exchange of words between the Governor and the state government on various issues, the former on Friday chose to avoid any further escalation of the same while reading out his speech in the Assembly.

Speculations were triggered after Dhankhar recently said that he would incorporate some lines into his draft speech that had been submitted to him by the government.

The Governor also said: "The law and order situation in the state was peaceful in the preceding year. No major untoward incident was reported from any part of the state. Communal harmony was maintained throughout the state as well. Festivals of all communities, castes and creed including Durga Puja reaching its culmination in the carnival, Diwali, Chhath Puja, Eid and Christmas were all observed peacefully."

"My government is committed to all-round development of the socio-economic standard of the people. State plan expenditure has gone up from Rs 11,838 crore in 2010-11 to Rs 80,120 crore in 2018-19, while capital expenditure has gone up from Rs 2,226 crore in 2010-11 to Rs 23,717 crore in 2018-19, representing an eleven-fold increase. The GSDP has registered a growth from Rs 4.60 lakh crore in 2011 to Rs 11.31 lakh crore in 2018," Dhankhar said.

He also expressed his concern over the grave economic slowdown across the entire country. Sudden demonetisation followed by hasty implementation of countrywide GST had dealt bad blows to the national economy. The small and medium scale business classes have been the worst hit in the process, opined the Governor.

In the evening he also gave his assent to the Budget, after having a discussion with Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha and Home Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay.