This was highlighted at a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Minister of State for Paschimanchal Unnayan Department Sushanta Ghosh also attended the meeting along with senior government officials.

The tall claims of the state government of launching various schemes in the LWE-affected areas seems to have been proven hollow, as the statistics suggest.

In 2006, the state government had set up Paschimanchal Unnayan Department with an aim to bring about development in the most backward areas of Maoist-affected Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore districts as well as Birbhum and Burdwan.

The state government had allocated Rs 10 crore to the department in 2009-10 but paid Rs 7.5 crore. Apart from it, the Centre also gave Rs 44 crore for development works.

“But almost 90 per cent of the money could not be spent. Even in 2008-2009, a total of Rs 50 crore was allotted but that time too, a part of the money, around Rs 10 crore, remained unspent,” a senior official of the department told The Indian Express.

For the current fiscal year, the government has allotted Rs 60 crore to the department.

Minister Ghosh blamed the Maoists for the failure of his department to utilise the funds allotted.

“The money could not be spent because of the problems created by Maoists. We have been appealing to them time and again not to stand in the way of developmental works, but they do not listen,” Ghosh told The Indian Express.

But an official of the department said that apart from insurgency, corruption is also one a major reason for the non-utilisation of the fund.

“Corruption is gobbling up a large share of that money. We cannot send a utilisation certificate to the Central government, which can enable us to ask for money again,” the official said.

The official said that the panchayats in the area are more interested in implementing Central schemes like the NREGS.