Referring to the all round development of the state, the Governor said the state’s capital expenditure had grown seven-fold from the previous Rs 2,225 crore to Rs 15, 946 crore.
Similarly, the state’s agriculture and rural development expenditure too had grown five times. The state’s plan expenditure which stood at Rs 14,615 crore in 2010-11 had grown to more than Rs 53,000 crore in 2015-16 indicating a four-fold rise.
The governor said despite the enormous financial hardships due to the legacy of debt left behind by the previous government, the state government had found resources for all segments of society including scheduled caste and tribes, Other Backward Classes, women and children, minority communities and economically weaker sections of society.
He said that agriculture and industry would be the state government’s priority areas, and more emphasis would be laid on employment generation.
After being voted back to power, the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had presided over the first administrative meeting and instructed all departments to draw up 5 and 10 year vision documents for their respective sectors. In the health sector, the government had already introduced free treatment and this had immensely benefitted the common man. Fair price medicine shops had become operational and this had helped family members of patients coming from economically deprived sections. Tripathi said the state government was committed to provide quality treatment to all the citizens of the state.
In the field of education, the state government had opened 15 new universities and 42 new colleges in the past five years. The government remains committed to provide better academic infrastructure and suitable job opportunities to improve the quality of life.
The state government is deeply concerned over the plight of poor tea garden labourers in North Bengal and a tea directorate under the North Bengal development department would look into their needs and demands.
The governor said projects like Kanyashree and Sabuj Sathi had received international appreciation and had reduced the percentage of early marriage as well spurred remarkable growth in the educational aspirations of girl child.
Reacting sharply to the governor’s address the leader of Left Front legislature party Sujan
Chakraborty said the speech did not reflect the real picture of the state. There was large scale violence in different parts of the state and thousands of people had been rendered homeless.