"Not everything is rated in terms of money. Respect the dignity of labour. No labour is negligible or avoidable," Banerjee told a rally in this South Dinajpur district town.
"No work is small or negligible. There is no alternative to hard labour," Banerjee said recalling that she once worked at a milk depot in Kolkata at Rs 40 a month to pay for her studies.
Urging people to be honest, she said, "I have minimum needs. I have one room beside the room of my late mother. When I sleep, I think how fortunate I am that I have a shelter. At the same time, I feel sad to think that innumerable people spend nights without a roof."
The chief minister, who earlier laid the foundation of a rail wagon factory here, announced a slew of development projects for the district.
Banerjee, a former railway minister, said that the Balurghat Express would now be called 'tebhaga Express' to commemorate the historic Tebhaga movement.