Kolkata, July 3 (IANS) The department-specific white papers to be released by the BJP government under Suvendu Adhikari, focusing on the financial irregularities during the 15-year tenure of the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee from 2011 to 2026, will concentrate on six key areas.

The state cabinet has given the nod for the formation of a five-member ministerial committee to oversee the entire process of preparation and publication of the department-wise white papers, with the state finance minister, Swapan Dasgupta, a journalist-turned-politician, being the chairman of the committee.

Cabinet insiders indicated that the focus among the six key areas will be on examining financial irregularities that occurred across various departments over the past 15 years, which were facilitated by direct approval from the highest level of political administration, namely the Chief Minister’s Office.

The second area, cabinet insiders added, will highlight how a private agency acting as a vote strategist handled crucial and confidential state government files and influenced department-wise policy decisions.

The third area will focus on the modus operandi of recruitment irregularities in appointments made by statutory bodies like the West Bengal Public Service Commission, the West Bengal School Service Commission, the West Bengal Board of Primary Education and the West Bengal College Service Commission, among others.

In this area, a cabinet insider said that a broader sketch will be provided about the masterminds behind such recruitment irregularities and also the beneficiaries of these irregularities.

The fourth area will focus on the expenditures incurred in organising the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), the annual investment meet organised by the previous Mamata Banerjee-led regime and the actual figure of investment that fructified from these annual meets.

The fifth section will outline instances of corruption within the healthcare system, particularly in government-run medical colleges and hospitals, which have led to the enrichment of certain individuals at the expense of the hardships faced by patients and the medical professionals engaged in this system.

The sixth and final area will be how interference from the previous ruling party influenced the criminal investigation process in the state, especially as regards crimes against women and children.

“Besides focusing on these six broader areas, the five-member ministerial committee will also provide suggestions on how the irregularities and anomalies under these six broad areas can be addressed and what legal steps can be taken against such activities,” a cabinet insider said.

The announcement for the publication of the department-wise white papers was made by Swapan Dasgupta while addressing the Assembly during the just-concluded budget session last week.

Dasgupta then said that besides highlighting the department-wise irregularities during the last 15 years, the white papers will explain why the huge accumulated debt was incurred by the state government during the last 15 years of Trinamool rule from 2011 to 2026 and why there had been unnecessary delay in the implementation of several important development projects in the state.

The Finance Minister also announced that henceforth the new state government will place the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on the floor of the Assembly, an issue that was ignored during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led regime.

He also explained that the aim of publishing the white papers was not just to highlight financial irregularities across departments during the previous regime, but also to assign accountability to the respective departments for plugging such corruption loopholes.

According to him, the white papers will also aim to bring transparency to the government and make the common people aware of it.

–IANS

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