Bengal not part of migrants' job scheme as TMC govt didn't give data: Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said that West Bengal could not be made a beneficiary of the migrants' job scheme or Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, as the state government did not provide any data on migrant labourers.  Addressing a virtual rally for the people of West Bengal, Sitharaman also criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government for showing "reluctance to allow Shramik Special train services in the state".

"The West Bengal government has been opposing all pro-people policies of the Centre. Six states have shared data on migrant workers, following their return. West Bengal, however, did not," the finance minister said.

"Our prime minister launched a scheme, which covers 116 districts in the country, but none from Bengal could be included as the TMC government didn't bother to share any data with us. The ruling dispensation in Bengal doesn't want any of the Centre's welfare policies to be implemented," she added.

Senior TMC leaders had recently criticised the Union government for not making the state a beneficiary in the 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan', a job scheme for migrant labourers.

Terming the TMC government as "anti-people", Sitharaman said the state was informed about cyclone 'Amphan', 11 days in advance, but it failed to take adequate precaution.

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan is a government of India initiative to tackle the impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers in India. It is a rural public works scheme which was launched on June 20, 2020 with an initial funding of Rs 50,000 crore for 116 districts in 6 states

(With PTI inputs)

Also Read: Coronavirus update: India crosses 5 lakh mark; reports highest single-day spike of 18,552

Also Read: India's coronavirus recovery rate rises to 58.56%; these states are leading the race