Kolkata: In the two months since the Mamata Banerjee government came to power, Amit Mitra, the unelected finance minister and the second-most important cabinet member in West Bengal, continues to rely on e-governance platforms that he had been championing even before the Covid pandemic began.
The 74-year-old minister has not attended office over the past 17 months, and has even skipped budget presentations and assembly meetings due to “severe comorbid conditions”.
A close aide of the minister told ThePrint that Mitra’s lungs are “compromised” and that he suffers from a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-like condition.
To make up for his physical absence, Mitra, who has been working mostly from home since the pandemic began, attends meetings virtually and has made the digital noting and e-files system, through digital signatures, as the primary method of governance across departments.
The finance minister also converted the tendering process of all departments to e-tendering, which has even helped to curb corruption and malpractices, said a senior government official.
Mitra, who has been chairman of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council of state finance ministers, has even been attending the GST meetings, writing relevant letters to the union finance minister and holding press conferences on national issues, but all of it through video conference.
A senior government official said due to his medical condition, Mitra has not been meeting any officer, or any of his cabinet colleagues, including the chief minister, in person.
“We are not aware of any physical meeting between him and the chief minister during this period too. In an elaborate note to the chief minister explained the medical reasons and stated why he would not be able to come,” the official said. “So, the chief minister talks to him over phone or virtually, if she needs any advice on the finance or GST-related issues.”
It hasn’t, however, been all smooth sailing.
“Electronic filing is effective only if the files are related to routine developments. It has been a standard process across departments,” a second government official said.
“But there are some files which we need weekly disposal. Apart from that, if there is a policy decision or formulation of some new schemes, the minister needs to scrutinise a lot of things physically. In the past 16 months, we have been managing through virtual meetings.”
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‘Difficult to continue’
Mitra is now living in his South Kolkata residence, from where he operates as the state’s finance minister.
Before elections this year, the 74-year-old also held charge of the state’s industry and commerce department.
After the Trinamool Congress retained power for the third time in May, Mitra got only the finance department. The state’s industry and commerce department went to Partha Chatterjee.
The opposition, however, feels that the 74-year-old may find it difficult to continue given his health.
The CPI(M)’s Ashim Dasgupta, a former Bengal finance minister himself, said, “I do not know how he is managing like this. There is monumental work the finance minister needs to do. We saw that he could not even attend the assembly and present budgets.”
Dasgupta, who served as the state’s finance minister for 24 years, claimed that he used to draft the budget on his own every year.
“I used to take inputs from all the department secretaries but draft the budget on my own. For this also, one needs to go to the office and work,” he added. “But he is unwell, we have heard so, there is nothing to comment on that.”
Ashok Lahiri, former chief economic advisor and a BJP MLA, said, “It is unfortunate that he is not keeping well. But we all understand how difficult it is for him and the department to work like this. We have read in the media that he expressed his unwillingness to continue like this as the finance minister.”
The Print texted a detailed questionnaire to Mitra and his office, but did not receive a response until the publishing of this report.
Term ends in November
Mitra, who got almost 50 per cent of the total vote share in North 24 Paragana’s Khardaha assembly constituency in 2016, refused to fight elections this year.
He is also unlikely to fight a by-election, which is necessary for him to remain a minister. Having not been elected, Mitra will have to fight an election before November, according to Constitutional rules.
TMC sources, however, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unwilling to release him.
The state’s Panchayat and Rural Affairs Minister Subrata Mukherjee, told ThePrint that Dr Mitra may be accommodated in a different capacity through which he can supervise the state’s finances.
“If Dr Mitra does not contest the election, the government may issue a special order appointing him as an advisor to the CM,” Mukherjee said. “In that case, the CM may retain the finance department. We have not heard about any discussion over finding Dr Mitra’s replacement as of now.”
Trinamool’s state general secretary Kunal Ghosh told ThePrint that Mitra is the chief minister’s most trusted aide on matters of finance.
“Didi is fond of him and depends on him a lot. She always turns to her Amit da for any finance or industry-related advice,” he said. “Didi knew Dr Mitra for over a decade when he was the FICCI secretary general. He worked for Didi when she was the rail minister. It is a relationship of trust.”
Ghosh added that it was Mitra who helped the state overcome financial challenges brought on by three decades of Left rule.
“Our government inherited a huge load burden from the Left, but Dr Mitra always found a way to service the loan and simultaneously continue with the development work,” he said. “So, we still have no idea on his replacement. If Didi takes any decision on that, she will announce it.”
The Trinamool general secretary also said that the state now tops the country in implementing e-governance systems.
“Didi always encouraged this and Dr Mitra implemented the system to bring absolute transparency,” Ghosh said. “Bengal is one of the very few states that rolled out a new social security scheme through such a system during the pandemic too.”
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
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