Senior Bengal administrative officials faced questions over non-compliance with guidelines on the names and the logos of schemes sponsored by the Union government during a meeting held in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the state's demand to release funds under several projects.

“Officials from Bengal who were present in the meeting faced questions on why the state did not follow central guidelines on the names and the logos of schemes which were being implemented in Bengal. The officials also faced questions over financial irregularities that allegedly took place under the schemes,” said a source aware of the meeting's deliberations.

A senior state government official said they had presented facts and figures that established that Bengal had initiated steps to rectify the problems whenever central teams had pointed them out.

“We made it clear that we had submitted action-taken reports whenever the Centre had pointed out any discrepancy…. The action-taken reports have been verified by the central teams and no further question was raised. We are hopeful that we can get due funds at the earliest,” said a senior state government official.

The meeting was held after the chief minister led a delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 19, demanding the immediate release of funds under several schemes, including one for 100 days of jobs.

“It was decided during the talks between the Prime Minister and the chief minister that a meeting would be held between the officials of the central and state governments. The meeting was held today (Tuesday), more than a month after the chief minister had met the Prime Minister,” said a source.

In the meeting held on Tuesday, secretaries of finance, panchayat, health, education, public works and food and supplies departments represented the state government. On behalf of the Centre, officials in the prime minister’s office and the ministry of rural development attended the meeting.

“It is not very comfortable for the state as the Centre is asking questions on the non-compliance with the rules related to the names and the logos of the central schemes. It is a political decision whether to use the names and the logos of the central schemes in the state. But after the Centre had raised questions earlier, we tried to use the names and the logos of the central schemes,” said a state government official.

Sources said although the state had tried to use the logos and the names of central schemes like the PMGSY (rural roads) and PMAY (housing for rural poor), it was yet to use the name and the logo of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) on ration shops.