West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced seven per cent more dearness allowance for government employees.
“Although I am facing acute finance crunch, I want to announce some good news for the government employees. They will get seven per cent dearness allowance by the end of January 2013. I keep whatever promises I make,” she said. She again lamented that the Centre was not giving the state its due. “Tomorrow, there is National Development Council meeting in New Delhi in which state finance minister Amit Mitra will put forth West Bengal’s stand,” she said, adding that her government would soon decide how to “resist” Centre’s unfair treatment.
On Monday, she had launched a scathing attack against the UPA government, alleging that it was behaving as a money-lender. “The Centre is taking away all the money from the state at the beginning of every month and I am left with nothing. I want the Centre to defer the interest payment for three years,” she had said. On Wednesday, she appeared determined to intensify her campaign against the Centre on this issue.