PM promises early release of funds for North Bengal Tea Industry

Kolkata, July 11 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today promised to look into the early release of the financial package for the tea industry in North Bengal to tide over the problems facing them.

Giving the assurance to a 15- member Pradesh Congress delegation, which called on him at the Raj Bhavan here this afternoon, Dr Singh Minister said he was fully aware of the prevailing condition of the Indian Tea industry which had been suffering from an acute shortage of funds and would do everything for improving the situation, WBPCC Working President Pradip Bhattacharya told newsmen later.

Blaming the West Bengal government for showing ''step motherly attitude'' towards the problems of North Bengal, Mr Bhattacharya, accompanied by Congress Chief whip in the state Assembly Manas Bhunia, said they had also brought to Dr Singh's notice about the closing down of a large number of tea gardens in North Bengal in the recent past and sought his personal intervention for their reopening.

Referring to their efforts to convince the Prime Minister about the necessity of early release of the Rs 100 crore financial package for the revival of sick tea gardens in North Bengal as well as in Asom and for providing financial relief to their workers, both the Congress leaders felt that majority of this fund should be disbursed through the Tea Board.

Among the other issues discussed during the half an hour long meeting between the Congress delegation and the Prime minister, Mr Bhattacharya said these included problems in the wake of sudden cancellation of registration of all the 36 B.Ed colleges in the state jeopardising the future of more than 5,000 students and deteriorating heath care facilities in government hospitals.

''The Prime Minister gave us a patient hearing and promised to look into each of these issues sympathetically, and release funds, as announced by the Union Finance Minister in budget speech,'' the WBPCC Working President stated.

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