Kolkata, Sep 17 (PTI) Opposition-ruled states that did not implement central government schemes have eventually seen a change of guard, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari asserted on Thursday, citing Odisha, Delhi and his state as examples.
Adhikari also said West Bengal celebrated the ‘Vishwakarma Diwas’ for the first time on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday on Thursday.
“There was Delhi, Odisha, West Bengal – those who did not take the benefit stayed cut off from central schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G RAM G), among others – and have seen change (of government). The public brought the change,” the CM said.
He was speaking at a programme to commemorate completion of three years of the PM Vishwakarma scheme.
“Those (the TMC government) who did not let the PM Vishwakarma scheme get implemented in West Bengal, Lord Vishwakarma himself made the change,” Adhikari said.
The chief minister said the state would celebrate ‘Vishwakarma Diwas’ in an open field with wider public participation from 2027, moving away from indoor venues.
“From September 17, 2027, we will not organise this in a hall. It will have to be done in an open ground… at the Brigade Parade Ground,” Adhikari said.
Adhikari said that as the Leader of Opposition, before he took over as CM, he had repeatedly urged the previous government to implement the PM Vishwakarma scheme.
“When I was LoP, I repeatedly said inside and outside the asssembly that West Bengal was not becoming a part of the Vishwakarma Yojana. But, every district magistrate had been told by the previous government not to implement this scheme,” he alleged.
Other central schemes like the PM Awas Yojana and the PM Surya Ghar were also not implemented in the state earlier, Adhikari asserted.
The chief minister said his government launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme in West Bengal on August 16, under which around 10,000 people, including 2,000 migrant labourers, have already availed healthcare benefits.
Adhikari also said that 7.7 lakh artisans are registered on the Vishwakarma portal in the state, with around two lakh active applications.
He said the BJP government has delegated processing powers from panchayat pradhans to secretaries, with the move leading to more than 3,000 approvals under the PM Vishwakarma scheme.
The scheme’s coverage would be widened to include boat and fishing net makers, lock and key makers, and traditional doll and idol makers, among other artisan groups, “none of whom would need an academic certificate to qualify”, he said.
The Centre would be urged to send teams for additional skill training, with beneficiaries entitled to a stipend during the period, besides access to collateral-free bank loans, Adhikari said.
The chief minister also said the state would integrate the Vishwakarma scheme beneficiaries with the Centre’s Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS).
Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, addressing the event, called for setting up of two National SC-ST Hubs in the state, and introducing a central sector scheme under the MSME ministry aimed at boosting entrepreneurship among Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
Manjhi said 30 lakh people have already been trained under the PM Vishwakarma scheme in three years of its rollout, and 18 lakh free toolkits were distributed so far. PTI BSM RBT
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