Mamata Banerjee Says Centre’s COVID-19 Economic Package “A Big Zero”

Kolkata:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the central authorities’s COVID-19 financial package deal, calling it “a big zero” with nothing of assist to states. Ms Banerjee alleged that the central authorities was “misleading the people” in the course of the coronavirus disaster and was planning to “financially lockout” states.

State Finance Minister Amit Mitra too accused the centre of deceptive folks, saying that the precise stimulus is about 2 per cent of the nation’s GDP as a substitute of the 10 per cent because it was being marketed.

“The special economic package announced by the Union government is nothing but a big zero. It is a eyewash to fool the people. There is nothing for the unorganised sector, public spending and employment generation,” Ms Banerjee mentioned, addressing a information convention.

“Yesterday, when the PM announced the Rs 20 lakh crore package, we were hopeful that the interest of states will be looked into, the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) limit would be increased. But today, after the Union Finance Minister made the announcements, it was found that everything that was said yesterday was a bluff,” Ms Banerjee mentioned.

The Trinamool Congress chief additionally requested why farmers’ loans had not been waived and claimed that the centre was “misleading and lying” to the folks in regards to the package deal.

People had hoped from the Prime Minister’s speech on Tuesday that states will get some support to spice up MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), employment, unorganised sector, public spending, further grants and well being infrastructure, Ms Banerjee mentioned.

However, the centre has given nothing to states, she mentioned. “We have not been given a penny. There is no earning and only burning,” Ms Banerjee mentioned.

The chief minister alleged that the centre normally allots Rs 14 lakh crore for MSMEs however now they’ve diminished it to Rs three lakh crore beneath the guise of a particular financial package deal.

“Why did not it work towards self-reliance for the last six years? What were they doing for so long,” she mentioned whereas responding to PM Modi’s name for an “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India).

Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra mentioned the earlier interventions by the Reserve Bank of India and the Union Finance Ministry amounting to Rs 10 lakh crore are included within the Rs 20 lakh crore package deal, and billed as a “blockbuster stimulus”.

“People must know the truth and the centre’s actual new announcement is just Rs 4.2 lakh crore or 2 per cent of GDP,” Mr Mitra mentioned after Nirmala Sitharaman shared some particulars of the plan on Wednesday.

(With inputs from PTI)