look news india
Kolkata, 02 December (HS). West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the Assembly on Monday that the state has not yet received a subsidy of Rs 14 thousand crore from the Center for the supply of rice through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
The Chief Minister said that 60 percent of the amount for providing rice under PDS is received from the Center as subsidy, but it has not been received yet. Despite this, the state government is bearing the expense from its own treasury to ensure that the poor are not deprived of this facility.
Mamata Banerjee also pointed out that the “Khadya Sathi” scheme of the state government also covers those who do not fall under the parameters set by the central government. Food Sathi Scheme is a food security scheme of West Bengal, under which rice and wheat are made available at subsidized rates to the people of the state.
The Chief Minister also discussed the prices of potatoes and onions. He said that we are second in potato production, but some people are creating shortage in the market by sending the potatoes grown here outside the state. It won’t be tolerated. He also added that export of potatoes from the state was banned during the tenure of his government.
Regarding onions, he said, “We have ensured that 75 percent of the onions grown here are consumed in the state only, so that the public does not face any kind of problem.” With this statement of the Chief Minister, the issue of financial differences between the state and the Center has once again come to the fore.