State funding schemes, Centre taking credit: Mamata
Namkhana (WB), Dec 27 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday directed officials to rename central schemes, claiming the state was bearing 80 per cent cost of these programmes "but the Union government was taking credit for them".
She said the state government was willing to fund these schemes entirely.
"I have seen that though the state is spending 80 per cent to run these schemes, the centre is taking the entire credit. Why will this happen? Change the old name. Rename Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to Bangla Sadak Yojana, so that people know the reality. In such cases, we will take responsibility of running the entire scheme. Please see that the names are changed," she said.
The chief minister was speaking at an administrative review meeting here in South 24 Parganas district.
She also alleged the centre was taking credit for paying the farmers under the Fasal Bima Yojana, though the state government was making the payments.
"We are paying them, but the BJP is claiming that they are paying the farmers. They cannot do this politics," she said.
Banerjee on Tuesday had accused the Centre of making false claims in providing crop insurance to farmers in the state, and said the state has made 80 per cent of the insurance payout.
Banerjee has been a strident critic of the BJP government and among the foremost opposition leaders against it.
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2 people killed in collision between jet and vehicle at New York's LaGuardia Airport, source says
New York (AP): An Air Canada regional jet struck a firetruck on the runway after landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday, crushing the nose of the plane, according to authorities and photos of the wreckage.
Two people were killed, according to a person familiar with the investigation into the crash. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an active investigation.
There were 72 passengers and four crew members aboard the aircraft, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada, according to a statement from the airline. The flight originated at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the major airport serving Montreal.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement that the jet had struck a rescue and firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident at about 11:45 p.m. The airport was closed as of 3 am to facilitate the investigation, officials said.
Photos and videos from the scene showed severe damage to the front of the aircraft, with cables and debris hanging from a mangled cockpit. Nearby, a damaged emergency vehicle lay on its side.
Stairways used to evacuate passengers from aircraft were pushed up to the emergency exits on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ. The impact left the jet with its crumpled nose tilted upward.
Jazz Aviation issued a statement confirming the accident and noting the passenger and crew list was preliminary and subject to confirmation.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the incident.
