Mamata to meet PM Modi on Dec 20 over pending central funds for West Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on December 20 to seek release of financial dues to the state, a government official said on Tuesday. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has agreed to Banerjee’s request for an appointment with Modi, he said. “The meeting will take place at about 11 am on December 20,” the official told the media. Banerjee had earlier this week claimed that the Centre owed Rs 1.15 lakh crore to West Bengal on various accounts, including 100 days of work under MGNREGA– the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. It was in August 2022 that the Bengal Chief Minister last met the Prime Minister and highlighted various concerns related to West Bengal’s pending dues, among other issues. Banerjee is likely to visit Delhi on December 17 evening. On December 18, she will preside over a Trinamool Congress parliamentary party meeting and meet leaders of other Opposition parties. On the 19th, she is set to attend the INDIA alliance meeting in Delhi. The West Bengal chief minister has been targeting the Centre for blocking funds to various central schemes such as MNREGA and the National Health Mission and has even written to the PM on the issue. The Centre has blocked funds to various projects and flagship programmes in West Bengal highlighting anomalies and alleged issues of corruption, improper branding and not following guidelines.