Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday indicated that the Centre would not provide a special financial package for Bengal, saying the state was not yet in a debt trap. ??West Bengal is yet to come under the category of debt trapped states, though it is reeling under a huge debt of R1.62 lakh crore,?? he said at a press conference here.
??According to the 13 th finance commission report there are three states, having a possibility of falling into debt trap by 2014 and West Bengal is one among the three states,?? he said, declining comment on whether the Trinamool Congress and the Congress were working on a roadmap to rescue the state from a financial mess.
Mukherjee?s comment that there is no possibility of West Bengal falling into a debt trap before 2014, is an indication that the Centre will not give any special package to Bengal, even if Mamata Banerjee seeks aid if she becomes the chief minister.
Pranab said it would not be difficult for Mamata Banerjee to run West Bengal efficiently if she became the chief minister and her experience in the railways would help her bring about good governance in the state.