Centre freezes Rs 7,000 Cr fund meant for Bengal over missing Modi photos
West Bengal officials said the Centre’s refusal to reimburse the sum could have a serious impact on paddy collection in the state
The Centre has withheld the release of ₹7,000 crore to West Bengal after the state failed to put up signboards and flexes with NFSA logo and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photos at ration shops.
After the state government failed to act despite repeated reminders, the central government decided not to release the money, a report in The New Indian Express said.
State officials said the Centre’s refusal to reimburse the sum could have a serious impact on paddy collection.
“The state government has already procured 8.52 lakh tonnes for the NFSA (National Food Security Act) schemes in this financial year for the central pool,” the TNIE quoted an official as saying.
The state has procured 22 lakh tonnes of paddy, including the volume for the central pool, against its annual target of 70 lakh tonnes this year.
“But the state government is yet to be reimbursed for paddy it procured on behalf of the Centre,” the official said.
Sources in the state government said the state has set a target of procuring 80 per cent of its annual target of 70 lakh tonnes in the kharif season. This will continue till the end of February.
