PM was economical with the truth at election rally in Bengal: Trinamool Congress

A combative Trinamool Congress has accused the Prime Minister in indulging in false propaganda in his election rallies. The party has claimed that it found as many as nine outlandish claims made by the Prime Minister, which were untrue. Here is the list:

I) CLAIM: People from Bengal are stopped from worshipping Maa Durga

REALITY:Rs. 50000 assistance provided to each Puja committee in 2020. Rs. 25000 provided each year in previous years. During Covid, fire brigade services provided for free to Puja planning committees, no taxes collected by corporations and panchayats, 50 per cent concessions on electricity for Puja organisers in West Bengal. West Bengal government paid Rs 2,000 as advance pension for two months to the farmers and fishermen in the state ahead of the Durga Puja during pandemic. Biswa Bangla Carnival and the Pujos of Bengal are the biggest celebrations in the universe.

2) CLAIM: TMC is not letting Bengal develop

REALITY: The average per person income more than doubled -from Rs. 51,543 in 2010 to Rs. 1,09,491 in 2019. In the last 10 years, Bengal's GDP has grown from Rs. 4.51 Lakh Cr to Rs. 6.9 Lakh Cr (53%)T. Agriculture and allied services grew by 30%, industries by 60% and service sector by 62%. Bengal's budget tripled in the last decade, growing from Rs. 84,804 Cr in 2011 to Rs. 2.55 Lakh Cr in 2020-21

3) CLAIM: Farmers of Bengal deprived of PM Kisan

REALITY: Bengal provides its farmers with annual financial assistance of Rs 6000 per acre. PM Kisan provides maximum financial assistance of only Rs 1,214 per acre. Bengal CM has written two letters to the Union Agriculture Minister for starting the PM Kisan programme in Bengal. Bengal Government has sent the names of 2.5 lakh farmers to the Centre for inclusion in PM-Kisan scheme. However, no amount has been disbursed by the Centre so far. Bengal farmer income tripled in last 10 years. In comparison, Centre will not double farmer income even by 2028 let alone 2022!

4) CLAIM: Bengalis deprived of Ayushman Bharat

REALITY: Bengal already has a better health insurance scheme -Swasthya Sathi - started two years before Ayushman Bharat. Under Ayushman Bharat, states have to bear 40% of the cost. Bengal govt bears the entire cost of Swasthya Sathi. Ayushman Bharat covers 40% of India's population while Swasthya Sathi covers 100% of Bengal's population. For Ayushman Bharat, the beneficiary has to pay Rs 30 per card, so Rs 150 for a family of five. Under Swasthya Sathi, the card is free and in the name of the elder woman of the family.

5) CLAIM:Bengal government did not spend 1700 crore allocated for clean piped water to households

REALITY: Mamata Banerjee's Jal Swapno scheme is already in the works and will provide piped water to 2 crore households, at a cost of Rs. 58000 crore (-35 times Centre's claimed allocation of 1700 crore) borne entirely by the State government.

6) CLAIM: Bengal used to he an industrial hub but the situation has reversed no∎s. People from Bengal hate to move outside to search for jobs

REALITY: Nearly 89 Lakh small businesses operate in Bengal today compared to 34.6 Lakh in 2012, employing 1.35 Cr people. Number of factories in Bengal increased from 8,322 in 2010 to 9,534 (15%)T in 2020, with average factory worker earnings rising from Rs. 1.3 Lakh to Rs. 2.3 Lakh (77%)t. Bengal is one of the largest IT hubs in India and we are in the process of developing a Silicon Valley like IT hub in the State.

7) CLAIM: The jute industry, potato industry has suffered

REALITY:

Jute: The West Bengal Labour Department provides training to youths on spinning and weaving jute. In 2019, the State Food and Supplies Department decided to buy seven crore jute bags from jute farmers in Bengal. In order to discourage the use of environment-unfriendly plastic, the State Agriculture Marketing Department introduced jute bags at Sufal Bangla stalls. All the Centre has done is abolish Jute Boards where artisans and weavers can voice their concerns.

Potato: 1000 hectares of land has been identified where potatoes are farmed for exports. The State has the capacity to export more than 30 lakh metric tonnes of potato. During the lockdown and Centre's failure to control prices, we provided potatoes at Rs. 25/ kg. We have also helped cold storage owners procure surplus produce. The Centre has removed potatoes from the Essential Commodities list and is blaming States for lack of industry!

8) CLAIM:BJP government has boosted railways in Bengal

REALITY: Mamata Banerjee as Railway Minister laid the foundation for Dumdum-Dakshineshwar metro in 2010. Phase I of the project was launched in 2013. For 7 years the BJP Govt. at the Centre failed to allocate enough funds & ahead of polls the BJP is rushing to steal credit. In fact, the Centre also shelved 31 projects initiated by Mamata Banerjee in Bengal and choked funding for the rest in the last few years.

( See our statement released after Budget )

9) CLAIM: The PM claimed to have started new rail routes in Bengal to Barrackpore and Dakshineshwar among others.

REALITY: Mamata Banerjee as Rail Minister allocated the budget for the rail routes on 25 February 2011.