Before WB polls, CM Mamata increases dearness allowance & promises tablets to students

In what seems to be an attempt to woo Bengal voters, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the state's coffers would never run dry for its employees and announced a three percent hike in dearness allowance (DA) from next month for government staff. Targeting the Centre, she said that the state is yet to receive dues of Rs 85,000 crore from the Centre. The CM further said that 9.5 lakh students of 14,000 higher secondary schools and 636 madrasas will be given tablets for free for their online classes.

"We had not been receiving our financial dues. At least Rs 8,000 crore is due under GST. Despite financial constraints, we had met the recommendations of all previous pay commissions (sixth pay Commission). We will also provide three per cent hike in DA from January 2021. Over Rs 85,000 crore dues are yet to be cleared by the Centre but that will not prevent us from giving our people their dues," she said. The Chief Minister said the exercise will incur an expense of Rs 2,200 crore on the state's exchequer.

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The CM also said that the state has made arrangements to ensure RT-PCR tests are conducted at a rate as low as Rs 950. Noting that employees of central government organisations and undertakings are currently "insecure" amid talks of privatisation of institutions, the CM said her dispensation has never sacked anyone and instead increased salaries of staff even in the midst of the pandemic. Mamata Banerjee claimed that the situation in the country is such that "the farmers are agitating on the streets, while the labourers have lost their voice. The CM also claimed said that the Centre has not given the state its dues for Amphan relief and COVID-19 care.

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Chaos in TMC ahead of polls

Many leaders in TMC has expressed their displeasure over the growing clout of Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee. They are also miffed because of Prashant Kishor, poll strategist whom Mamata Banerjee hired to script her re-election. BJP which has made major inroads in West Bengal during the Lok Sabha polls by winning 18 seats as compared to TMC's 22, is looking forward to give a tough fight and eventually win the elections by dislodging Mamata's 10 years rule. Moreover, heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari may quit TMC, and MLA Mihir Goswami has already joined BJP. 

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