West Bengal: '25 Fake Job Card Holders Found Under MGNREGA In State,' Says Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Kolkata: At a time when the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government is slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government over freezing of funds, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that in Bengal ‘25 lakhs fake job card holders were found’.

“The money which is being given is taxpayers money not from any private property. Fake job card holders got the money. The government here is fooling the taxpayers twice. First by giving their money to fake job card owners and second time by taking out money from the treasury to pay the beneficiaries,” said Sitharaman.

Addressing a programme organised by ‘Khola Haowa’ on Viksit Bharat and Eastern India, Sitharaman slamming the state government said that people of Bengal are being denied of central schemes.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not stopping any schemes for the sake of politics, but here in Bengal central schemes are not reaching. Either you give the benefits of the central schemes to the poor or you provide something better. People from Bengal go to other states for treatment, so if you offer better facilities then why are people going? In Hyderabad pharmacy shops with the name written in Bengali are found beside hospitals,” further mentioned Sitharaman also mentioning that several business families have also left Bengal.

“Bengal once played a wonderful role for the country. Bengal was the richest state in 1960 on the basis of per capita income. In 1993-2000 national average of Bengal was 5.5 per cent growth rate and all India it was 4. 6 per cent. In 2011 Bengal’s rate was 4. 2 per cent and the country’s rate was 5.2 per cent. In 2021-22 Bengal got down and became the 23 rd states in the country,” added the Union Finance Minister.

Urging that the state should work with the central government, Sitharaman mentioned that 1.5 million people have migrated outside Bengal from 2010.

“Bengal was ahead in several fields especially culture and education and now in education Bengal has fallen behind Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In Bengal it is only cut money now,” added the Finance Minister.