West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee meets PM Modi, requests urgent release of funds

New Delhi, Aug 05: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who arrived in Delhi a day ago on a four-day visit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Friday.

The Prime Minister's Office shared a picture of the meeting, which lasted about an hour. In a memorandum to the prime minister, Banerjee said she had repeatedly sought his intervention for urgent release of funds due to the state on account of the implementation of the rural job scheme MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojana and the PM Gramin Sadak Yojana.

"I request for urgent release of funds due to state for implementation of schemes including MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojna and PM Gramin Sadak Yojna... Dues from central govt on these schemes amount to about Rs 17996 cr," reads the letter submitted by Banerjee to PM Narendra Modi.

The letter further adds, "Substantial amount on account of many developments & welfare schemes... estimated to be around Rs 1,00,968.44 cr is also due... With such large amount remaining outstanding, state is facing extreme difficulty to run affairs & take care of people of state."

After the meeting, Banerjee directly went to meet President Droupadi Murmu. Banerjee, who arrived here on a four-day visit on Thursday, is likely to attend a Niti Aayog governing council meeting on August 7 to be chaired by Prime Minister Modi.

She did not attend the meeting last year. Banerjee's meeting with the Prime Minister came close on the heels of the Enforcement Directorate arresting now-removed West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee and recovering huge cash and jewellery in connection with an alleged school jobs scam.

However, it was not known if the issue featured in the meeting. Banerjee's meeting also holds importance ahead of the August 6 vice-presidential poll, from which her Trinamool Congress party has decided to abstain.