New Delhi: In an absurd attempt to coerce the West Bengal government to comply with the prime minister’s publicity campaign, the Union government has withheld Rs 7,000 crore from the state for not displaying his photos at ration shops.Chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s government is yet to comply with the Union’s directive to display sign boards and flexes featuring the National Food Security Act (NFSA) logo and photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at ration shops across the state.The amount being withheld from the state was to procure paddy for the Union’s schemes. State government officials said the Union’s refusal to reimburse the sum could leave a serious impact on paddy collection on the state in the ongoing financial year, the New Indian Express reported.“The state government has already procured 8.52 lakh tonnes for the NFSA schemes in this financial year for the central pool. It has procured 22 lakh tonnes of paddy, including the volume for the central pool, against its annual target of 70 lakh tonnes this year. But the state government is yet to be reimbursed for the paddy it procured on behalf of the Centre,” a state government official told the paper.According to the report, the state has set a target of procuring 80% of its annual goal of 70 lakh tonnes during this season, which continues until February-end. If the state does not receive sufficient funds within this window, the entire procurement process could be adversely affected.Not the first tussle over brandingThis is not the first time the Narendra Modi government has withheld funds from West Bengal over branding issues. In November last year, Banerjee had written to the prime minister urging him to release funds under the National Health Mission (NHM) that were withheld due to the colour of the health centres.“I would earnestly request you to kindly intervene for immediate release of NHM funds to West Bengal and for removal of specific colour branding conditionalities for Health & Wellness Centres, so that poor people do not suffer from lack of health services,” the chief minister wrote.The Union government had planned to paint central government institutions, including metro stations and health facilities, ‘saffron’. The state government had opposed the move and said, “These buildings have been constructed since 2011 in State colours. It is most unfortunate that recently, the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare withheld funds under National ‘Health Mission due to non-compliance with certain colour branding-guidelines for Health & Wellness Centres, despite other conditionalities being fulfilled.”
