West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee urges Centre to roll back GST from life insurance, medical insurance premium

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 1 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the central government to roll back GST from life insurance and medical insurance premium on Thursday.

Taking to X, CM Mamata Banerjee shared, “Our demand to the Government of India is to roll back GST from life insurance and medical insurance premium on grounds of people’s health imperatives. This GST is bad because it adversely affects people’s ability to take care of their basic vital needs. If Government of India does not roll back the anti-people GST, we will be bound to hit the road.”

CM Mamata Banerjee has been at loggerheads with the Centre and demanded the release of funds for the 100-day wage employment and housing scheme.

Earlier TMC leader Kunal Ghosh criticised the BJP for withholding funds for the 100-day wage employment scheme, attributing it to the BJP’s loss in the 2021 Assembly polls.

Ghosh highlighted that TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had requested Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to release a white paper detailing budget allocations to West Bengal, a demand that remains unmet.

“The central government has not provided funds for the 100-day wage employment scheme, forcing the Chief Minister to disburse Rs59 lakh from state funds. They cite irregularities to justify withholding funds while BJP-ruled states like UP, Odisha, and MP receive money. We will continue our protest inside and outside Parliament until funds are released for the 100-day wage employment scheme and the housing scheme,” Ghosh stated.

Ghosh insisted that Sitharaman must produce the white paper requested by Banerjee.

“In the last four financial years, the BJP has collected Rs4.64 lakh crores in taxes from West Bengal, with pending dues exceeding Rs1.71 lakh crores. We need a white paper on funding for MGNREGA and the housing scheme. The protest will intensify under CM Mamata Banerjee and MP Abhishek Banerjee,” he added.