All WB staff to get salary through banks from Sept: Mamata

New Delhi, Jun 21: In a bid to ensure transparency in administration, Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government would bring out a "white paper" on the "precarious" financial situation and make salary payments to all its employees through banks from September.

"A special audit will be carried out by the (state) Finance Ministry on the precarious financial situation. Once this is over, our Finance Minister (Amit Mitra) will table a white paper," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters here today.

She also announced that salaries of state government employees as well as pension would be disbursed through the banks from September 1 instead of cash. "Talks are being held with all banks in this regard."

Banerjee was replying to a wide range of questions including central financial assistance, Gorkhaland issue, land acquisition and development projects at the Press Club on her first visit to the national capital since becoming the Chief Minister.

On the financial situation inherited from Left Front government, she said the state had a debt of over Rs 2 lakh crores and claimed the erstwhile dispensation had withdrawn Rs 9000 crore in two months after having borrowed about Rs 17,000 crores from the Centre just before the assembly elections.

"We are passing through a disastrous situation. Our priority is to at least stabilize it and provide roti, kapda and makan (bread, cloth and shelter). We are not asking for swimming pools," she said.

Whether she would seek an economic package from the Centre, Mamata said "we never asked for special package. Whatever we deserve, we should get...so that we can provide basic necessities of bread and butter to the people."

PTI