In an attempt to woo industry into the State, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked industrialists to apprise her in case they face problems with projects.

Asking industrialists to mail her in case they face problems, Banerjee said: “I have received a couple of complaints via e-mail. I assure you, if you have some problem, you can mail them to me,” she said .

According to her, Trinamool Congress was not ‘greedy” and did not require cut money to fund elections. “If required, I can sell my paintings to fund elections for the party. We are not dependent on cut money,” she said.

Assuring small and medium scale industries and handicraft artisans of her support, Banerjee said her Government has created nearly 154,000 new jobs and another 112,000 jobs would soon be in the offing. Around one crore jobs will be created during her tenure, Banerjee claimed.

Artisans’ support

According to the chief minister, West Bengal was running pension schemes for artisans (over 60 years) who have no other source of income, in the handicraft and village industries sectors. Health cards have also been distributed to these artisans to help them out, she said.

With artisans from Bengal being in demand, she said the Government was planning to make Santiniketan a big handicrafts hub.

“Every district will have at least one handicraft haat (small market) which can be used by artisans as a market place to sell their goods,” she said, adding that 68 clusters have been identified for development.

The State Government will also set up rural haats to provide marketing assistance to handicrafts and village industries artisans across the State.

>abhishek.l@thehindu.co.in

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