Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clear all dues to the state to help it in its fight against Covid-19 during the video conference with the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

Stressing on the financial burden of Bengal, Miss Banerjee said the state has already spent Rs 2500 crore but had received only Rs 125 crore. Miss Banerjee said that Mr Modi and the Central team had visited the Amphanaffected districts but apart from the Rs 1,000 crore, the state has not received any further assistance from the Centre though her government has spent Rs 6,500 crore for compensation work.

Requesting Mr Modi to arrange separate funds for COVID management, Miss Banerjee said: “The Centre is telling us to spend fund from SDRF (State Disaster Response Funds that are meant for handling natural disasters) on account of COVID management. But if disaster management funds are spent on COVID management then from where would we get funds in case of any natural disaster. If a cyclone or floods hit the state how can we manage such a situation? I would request that some separate arrangement be made for COVID management,” she said during the video conference with Mr Modi for launching a high throughput COVID testing facility in Kolkata.

Miss Banerjee reiterated her appeal to release the Rs 53,000 crore pending Central funds that she has been requesting for the last six months and that of GST compensation. She further asked Mr Modi to withdraw the conditions that were imposed in May which on fulfilment under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act would enable the states to increase their borrowing limits.“If we get these funds then it would help us to handle the present COVID situation in a better manner,” she said.

Thanking Mr Modi for his cooperation with the state government, Miss Banerjee said some people constantly criticise the state. Without naming anyone, she said that some continue their criticism and non-cooperation even after holding a Constitutional post.

“One may work for the Central government or the state government but in times of crisis everyone should work together,” she added.

Deliberating on the state’s achievements in handling the COVID situation, Miss Banerjee said COVID treatment is completely free in Bengal. Eighty-one COVID designated hospitals are treating patients and the government has taken over some private hospitals where too treatment is free of cost. She informed that only 12 to 13 percent of beds are occupied in the 106 safe homes and the government has come up with telemedicine facility for patients in home quarantine apart from a 24/7 call centre facility for distressed patients.

There are also Plasma Bank, Cord Blood Bank and COVID clubs in the district level.The state is testing 16,000 patients a day and in midAugust, this figure would rise to 25,000.

“West Bengal is one of the most populated states of the country and given the several border areas, the Centre should take special care of the state,” she added.

Mr Modi said that the testing facilities in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Noida were selected for increasing the testing as the three cities serve as fulfilling the dreams of lakhs of youths and so it was necessary to increase testing in these cities.

“There was one testing laboratory in India in January and now there are 1300 laboratories,” he said.