The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to send personal letters to beneficiaries of state schemes ahead of elections, the move seen as a bid to counter the Centre’s reach-out to beneficiaries of its Ayushman Bharat health scheme.
Sources in Nabanna said letters bearing Mamata’s name had already been drafted and the information and cultural affairs department would start mailing them once details of the beneficiaries of all schemes are compiled.
The letters, a source said, begins with how the state government had been “untiringly engaged for the last eight years — since it was elected to power in May 2011 — in “sarbik unnayan” (overall development) of the state.
The letter explains that some schemes have been drawn up keeping in mind the economically weak and backward by making provisions for them in the state budget.
“Hope this scheme contributes in lifting the general level of your well-being. We believe we will get a chance to have more of you with us on this road to development. Bhalo thakun, susthyo thakun (Stay well, stay healthy),” the letter signs off with a signature of Mamata Banerjee.
The letter would have the recipient’s name on the left hand corner and chief minister’s name on the right.
Earlier in the month, Bengal government had pulled out of the Ayushman Bharat scheme after Mamata alleged that the Centre was using the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the letters to take credit for a jointly funded project.
Addressing a public meeting in Krishnanagar in Nadia, Mamata said the Centre was printing the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the official communication of the scheme for publicity. “Even the logo has also been designed to resemble the party symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” she had alleged.
Back from the meeting, sources in Nabanna said the chief minister reportedly asked different departments, including school education and transport, to draw up a list of beneficiaries of schemes.
At present, there are 16 schemes under different heads including “Kanyashree” for school-going girls, “Gatidhara” for buying commercial vehicles with government aid, “Swasthay Sathi” for contractual and casual workers and Gitanjali Housing Scheme for building houses. Another plan, “Khadya Sathi”, offers rice at Rs 2 per kilo per month. The food and civil supplies department distributes 5kg rice each month to each family.
Sources said that the primary thrust is on education, health, transport and food and civil supplies departments, which arguably has the highest number of beneficiaries. The letters would be in light blue papers and sent by post.
“The idea is connect with a beneficiary and at the same time underline the government’s efforts in reaching out to him/her for well-being. All letters would be posted by mid-February,” said an official in the department of information and cultural affairs.
Sources said the letter’s draft for all schemes would remain the same. Only, the name of the plan will change, making it tailor-made for the recipient.