Job card holders to be included in work done by state govt: CM

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that all activities, including the construction of houses, roads and excavation of ponds, will be carried out by the job card holders to ensure that more people associated with 100 days of work can be involved.

The move assumes significance with the Central government not releasing a single penny for 100 days of work for Bengal.

“We need to set an example and show to the Centre that even if they deprive us of our rightful due, Bengal has the brains to find a way and do its own work,” Banerjee said in Singur while inaugurating the Pathashree–Rastashree project that entails work on over 12,000-km of roads across all Gram Panchayats of the state.

She further claimed that Bengal has already created at least 10 crore man-days.

Banerjee maintained that the tendering process should be done properly and the job card holders, earlier employed under 100 days of work, will be engaged for the same. “The work for the Jal Dharo, Jal Bhoro project, all jobs related to Public Works Department (PWD) from now on will be done by 100 days workers,” she added.

Reiterating that the Central government has not released over Rs 7,000 crore pending under the 100 days’ work scheme and has not given us any work this year, even though Bengal topped the list of states, she assigned jealousy or politics as the reason behind such deprivation.

Banerjee, who is also the chairperson of Trinamool Congress (TMC), asserted that the Centre has been depriving Bengal of its share of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) collected from the state and maintained that her party’s decision to support the passage of the GST Bill was wrong.

“It was our mistake to support the passing of the GST (Bill). I had thought that the states would benefit from it. But the Centre is collecting all the taxes and not giving us our share,” she said.

The GST was launched across the country on July 1, 2017. The primary motive was “one country one tax” enabling the Centre to collect tax at once.

The TMC had ‘in principle’ supported the Narendra Modi government during the introduction of the tax framework.

Highlighting a slew of development work that has been executed in Hooghly district, Banerjee said that an industrial park is coming up on an 8-acre land in Singur. Work for the same will be completed by April.

“I want local youths to be employed in the project,” she added.

Banerjee further said that over 90 per cent of the people have benefitted through Duare Sarkar (Government at Doorstep) camps across the state.

“There may be some cases that might not have been resolved due to technical challenges. We have received over 2 lakh requests through the Didir Suraksha Kawach asking for access to welfare schemes or necessary certificates. I urge people to go to the Duare Sarkar camps which will be held across every booth this time. The camps will continue from April 1 to 20. I urge people to come forward and enrol in our welfare schemes,” she maintained.

Banerjee also took a swipe at the Centre for the skyrocketing price of cooking gas. “Cooking gas price has hit Rs 1,150 per cylinder. The Centre needs to answer why is it that they have not been able to control rising inflation. If anyone questions them on their ‘gift’ to the country, central agencies like the ED-CBI are used to harass them,” Banerjee claimed.