Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today dismissed the opposition charge that the recent crib deaths in state-run hospitals in Malda and Murshidabad were due to medical negligence.
"In Malda, 8,000 babies are born outside hospitals. In Murshidabad too, non-institutional births run into several thousands. These babies who are brought to hospitals do not die due to negligence. But if negligence occurs, the guilty will be punished," Banerjee told news channels.
Pointing out that a large number of women in rural areas are married off before 18, she said in most cases, their children weigh 500 to 600gm.
"This (early marriage) is a social disease. But if they are referred to state-run hospitals, we cannot refuse them admission," she said adding those who are criticising the government over the infant deaths are doing so to "malign" it.
In Malda, Congress and CPI(M) are doing this in a planned manner, the CM alleged.
Pointing out that 70 to 80 children have died at the BC Roy Paediatric Institute during the last Left Front rule, she said "over the past eight months, however, we have been able to bring down infant mortality substantially".
As per the union government figures, Bengal now has a lower infant mortality rate than many states like Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka, Banerjee said.
Since the Centre decontrolled fertiliser prices in 2009-10, its prices had increased threefold and were also high in West Bengal because the Centre only sent the imported variety to the state.
"We have requested the Centre to see that only the fertiliser produced in the country be sent to the state. We also want to revive the fertiliser factories in Haldia and Durgapur so that we can get indigenously-produced fertiliser," she said.
Banerjee said although the Centre had not responded to her request to increase MSP for jute by Rs 400 per quintal, the state government was providing a procurement subsidy of Rs100.
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