“There is a need to create a separate fund to fight the pandemic,” Mamata Banerjee said.
Calcutta:
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday called on the Center to erase all financial burdens from the state to help it effectively tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Banerjee, during an online program where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated new testing facilities in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, also called for the establishment of a separate fund for the fight against disease.
She also said that money from the state’s disaster relief fund was being used for rehabilitation work after Cyclone Amphan.
“I would ask the central government to immediately release the state financial contributions. We have not yet collected our dues of 53,000 crore rupees. If we use all the money from the national disaster relief fund to post-cyclone restoration work, how are we supposed to tackle the pandemic, ”the chief minister said during the online program.
Cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal on May 20, leaving a trail of destruction behind
“It is necessary to create a separate fund to fight the pandemic. I would ask you (the Prime Minister) to look into the matter,” she added.
