This fortnight's column could have been about the historic appearance by a sitting Chief Minister in the Supreme Court. Or, a piece on the tepid Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister, which even the stock markets gave a thumbs down - Sensex saw its worst Budget-day fall in six years. Or, we could have written about how the Election Commission have completely botched up the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Or, crafted a column on the canine habits of women MPs who were, absurdly, accused of being all set to injure the Prime Minister if he spoke in Lok Sabha. But, instead, let me write about how a state government, poised to comfortably win the forthcoming Assembly polls, turned out a Budget for the State that was low on hype and high on substance.
Here are 15 stats you cannot ignore.
- State finance. West Bengal's Gross State Domestic Product grew almost five times in the last 15 years.
- Reducing unemployment. According to the Union government's PLFS data, unemployment in Bengal, among the age group 15 years and above, has been cut by almost half in the last eight years.
- Jobs. 2.5 crore jobs have been created in the state across private sector, public sector, and self-employment.
- Youth. Banglar Yuba Sathi scheme, introduced for unemployed youth between 21-40 years, ensures that Rs 1500 is transferred into their bank accounts every month till they get a job. In contrast, for the PM Internship Scheme, where Rs 10,800 crore was allocated, only 5% of that has been spent.
- Industry: 93 lakh MSMEs, the second highest in India, operate in Bengal. The state also has the highest share of women-led MSMEs in the country.
- Information Technology. IT sector exports have recorded growth of a whopping 677% in the last 15 years.
- Poverty alleviation. Over 1.72 crore people have been brought out of poverty.
- Healthcare. Bengal's Swasthya Sathi health insurance scheme was launched in 2016. The Union government's Ayushman Bharat scheme followed two years later. 2.45 crore families in Bengal have been covered under the scheme, and more than one crore beneficiaries have availed services. The health card is in the name of the woman head of the family and parents of both spouses are included. Now, the scheme has been extended to gig workers as well.
- The girl child. Bengal's Kanyashree scheme was launched in 2013. The Union government's Beti Bachao Beti Padhao followed two years later. You can put a hard number to the Kanyashree scheme: financial assistance has been provided to over one crore girls. In comparison, the Union government's Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme has no data available to indicate how many lives have been touched.
- School transport. Students do not have to walk miles to reach school. The Sabooj Sathi programme has provided bicycles to one and a half crore students. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's Prathichi Trust, in their assessment of the scheme, notes "a perfect union of policy, based on ideological commitment, and a sound implementation mechanism makes the program unique".
- Food security. Now ensured to nine crore people by providing them subsidised foodgrains.
- Women empowerment. The success of the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, where money is transferred directly into the accounts of women, has inspired many states to adopt similar models. Over two crore women will now receive Rs 1500 per month, a 50% increase from the existing payout.
- Housing. This financial year, 32 lakh households have been provided housing under the Banglar Bari scheme. Overall, one crore families have benefited.
- Roads. Over two lakh kilometres of roads have been constructed, and another 30,000 kilometres are being built under Pathashree-Rastashree - one of the 95 schemes rolled out by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the last 15 years.
- Water. Functional tap water connections have increased from two lakh in 2011 to nearly one crore households today.
Beyond these statistics, some stories are worth telling. A girl from a poor family being able to continue her studies because she is now provided with real financial assistance. A student from a remote village cycling to school on her bicycle. A home-maker receiving money every month to augment her household finances. A farmer sleeping peacefully because he knows that schemes from the State government protect him. A professional being admitted to a hospital knowing her medical insurance is covered.
"But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
- Robert Frost.
(Additional research: Ayashman Dey)
(Derek O'Brien, MP, leads the Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
