Kolkata: The West Bengal government has recently issued a circular, changing the names of central government schemes, including Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which will now be known as Mission Nirmal Bangla.
The April 12 letter, issued by the Panchayats and Rural Development Department to all secretaries and district magistrates says: “Attention is drawn to the specific names given by the state government to different rural development schemes with shared resources of the Centre and the state government.”
It further reads, “Programmes nationally known as Aajeevika (National Rural Livelihood Mission), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Grameen) should now onwards be known as Anandadhara (State Rural Livelihood Mission), Banglar Gramin Sadak Yojana and Banglar Griha Prakalpa, respectively”.
The letter signed by Saurabh Kumar Das, Additional Chief Secretary, categorically states that only the names given by the state government should be used for correspondence.
Speaking to News18, a senior official in the Chief Minister’s Office said, “The instruction came from Mamata Banerjee.
She felt that when the state government was bearing 40% of the cost for implementing the central government schemes, then why should only Centre get the credit? Earlier, the state governments used to bear only 10% of the cost for central schemes, but now with the increase in the state’s responsibility, the Bengal government has decided to change the names.”
Bharatiya Janata Party state secretary Sayantan Basu said, “Mamata Banerjee is playing politics by changing the names of central government schemes. She is now scared of BJP and therefore has changed the names to befool the people. I personally feel this is a fraud.”