By IANS,
Kolkata : Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Sunday said he will discuss with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the financial package demanded by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“Yesterday, at the National Development Council (NDC) meeting, the chief minister placed Bengal’s financial details in her speech, the day before yesterday she discussed it with the prime minister. I will talk to the prime minister; we will decide what to do next,” said Mukherjee.
Banerjee, an important ally of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, Saturday demanded a financial package at the NDC meet to tide over the crisis in the debt ridden state.
The NDC is the highest decision-making body on matters pertaining to central and state finances and also approves Five Year Plans. The meeting was to discuss the approach to the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-13 to 2016-17).
Asked about Banerjee’s proposal of extending financial package for Maoist-affected districts to two more districts, Mukherjee said he would discuss it with Home Minister P. Chidambaram.
Mukherjee also expressed concern over the double digit inflation and said the central government has taken a series of measures to remove the supply constraint.
“It (food inflation) was varying between 9.7 percent to 9.78 percent, last week it has reached 10.6 percent… Though it has come down from 20 percent to 9 percent… this is not satisfactory and it is unacceptable; the centre will see to bring it down further and to remove the supply constraint, a series of measures have been taken. Reserve Bank has taken appropriate steps,” said Mukherjee.