PM jabs Mamata for not implementing central schemes

Hitting out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not implementing the PM-KISAN scheme and Ayushman Bharat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that he will pray to God to give good wisdom to the "policymakers" of the state.

"Every possible initiative is being taken for the development of West Bengal by the Central government. As soon as West Bengal government gives its approval for Centre's Ayushman Bharat Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, people here will start receiving benefits of these schemes," he said while addressing at the 150th-anniversary celebrations event of Kolkata Port Trust.

"There will always be a pain in my heart and I would like to pray to God to give good wisdom to the policymakers of Bengal. I know the mood of the people of Bengal. Now nobody would be able to bereave people from these schemes," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that more than 90 lakh people got gas connections in West Bengal under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.

"Till now around 75 lakh poor people have received free treatment under Ayushman Bharat scheme. Around 43,000 crores have been transferred directly to the bank accounts of 8 crore farmers under PM-KISAN scheme. There are no middlemen and syndicates. Why will anybody implement these when the schemes do not support middlemen and syndicates?" he taunted the state government.

Mamata Banerjee skipped the event of the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi.

Speculations were rife that the TMC supremo would share the dais along with Modi. However, she was not present at the event. The Prime Minister, who arrived on Saturday for a two-day visit met Banerjee.

The Chief Minister's name was mentioned in the invitation card along with the Prime Minister, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for the event which was being held at Netaji Indoor Stadium.