PM Modi and Mamata Banerjee team up on stage for the poor in Bengal

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee partnered efforts on stage to present schemes for the poor. The two leaders of their respective political parties, viz the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress spoke at length about empowerment of the poor through banking facilities provided free of cost through the Prime Minister's Jan Dhan Yojana.

Other related schemes for a better lifestyle for the poor and healthcare for the same economic section were highlighted through the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign from the Central Government. The PM said that 15 crore new accounts had been opened under the Jan Dhan Yojana and most poverty alleviation schemes would be wrapped up for launch before August 2015.

The chief minister of Bengal echoed the same with West Bengal's own Kumari Benefits Scheme coupled with the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana being encouraged in West Bengal with great success.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke of lack of banking facilities in 1,300 panchayats even today in West Bengal. She said that the figure had come from her finance minister, Dr Amit Mitra former secretary general of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry ( FICCI).

The Prime Minister also announced schemes in the pension and insurance sector for the benefit of the poor in West Bengal and other parts of India. He stressed that the currently announced pension scheme was the first of its kind as the government was providing cover for the same.
The Prime Minister spoke of benefits to the farmer who would be provided pension benefits soon under such pension schemes.

Ms Banerjee confirmed that she would be meeting the Prime Minister after the public meeting to discuss poverty alleviation schemes for the state.