Bengal: Group of ministers begin work to bring out White Paper on 'corruption' during TMC regime

Kolkata, Jul 9 (PTI) The West Bengal government on Thursday set in motion an exercise to publish a White Paper on alleged corruption and financial mismanagement during the 15-year rule of the previous TMC regime, with a high-powered group of ministers (GoM) holding its first meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna. The meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta, decided to prepare a comprehensive report documenting instances of alleged diversion, misuse and wastage of public funds, particularly money received under centrally sponsored schemes, official sources said. According to the sources, the proposed report will identify cases where funds sanctioned for specific schemes were allegedly diverted for other purposes, remained unutilised or were misappropriated. Each government department has been asked to examine its records and furnish relevant documents and data to facilitate the report's preparation. The GoM also discussed the broad framework for the proposed White Paper, the methodology for collecting information from various departments and the timeline for compiling the findings before the document is placed before the government for approval, the sources said. A preliminary report is expected to be submitted to the chief minister's office after the exercise is completed, following which the White Paper will be finalised and made public, they said. Besides Dasgupta, ministers Dilip Ghosh, Tapas Roy, Arup Das and Deepak Barman attended Thursday's meeting. The exercise follows the state government's announcement during the first phase of the recently concluded Budget session of the Assembly that it would bring out a White Paper detailing alleged financial irregularities under the previous dispensation. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has repeatedly said his government would prepare a comprehensive account of what it describes as financial mismanagement and corruption during the previous government's 15-year tenure. He has maintained that the document would present department-wise findings backed by official records. In his Budget speech, Dasgupta had also said the government was committed to placing before the public a detailed account of the previous administration's handling of public finances, describing the proposed White Paper as an exercise in transparency and accountability. Officials said the GoM would coordinate with all departments to collect financial records, audit observations and administrative documents before consolidating them into a single report. Government sources indicated that apart from alleged irregularities in the utilisation of public funds, the document is expected to examine administrative decisions and governance practices across sectors, with an emphasis on financial accountability. The BJP had, while in the opposition, consistently accused the Trinamool Congress government of large-scale corruption in the implementation of several welfare and infrastructure schemes. The proposed White Paper is expected to form the basis of the present government's official account of those allegations after scrutiny of departmental records. PTI PNT ACD