Month: January 2015

mamata banerjee sagar island

Gangasagar Mela – WB Govt takes measures for benefit of pilgrims

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The Gangasagar Mela, held on Sagar Island, is the biggest religious fair in West Bengal. Ms Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, to promote tourism, had undertaken a boat ride to Sagar Island with top industrialists last October.

The Government has laid emphasis on electrification, drainage, sewerage, water purification, sewerage treatment, night shelters, roads (construction of a ring road) and general beautification. For this purpose, the Gangasagar Development Authority has been set up.

Government has also made several arrangements for the annual Gangasagar Mela:

  • Various arrangements of temporary nature for adequate accommodation, offices, water supply, sanitation
  • Temporary hospitals along with outdoor dispensary at Sagar island along with emergency helicopter services
  • Safe and adequate drinking water services are being provided
  • Temporary sanitary (mobile toilets) and waste water disposal arrangements
  • Arrangements for fire-fighting, including setting up facilities at Kolkata’s Outram Ghat, Kachuberia, Chemaguri/Benuban and Sagar Mela ground
  • Arrangements for bathing ghats (including changing rooms) at Sagar Island
  • Arrangement of temporary banking facility at Sagar Mela ground
  • Police outposts at Sagar Mela ground
  • Solid waste collection by automatic disposal vehicle
  • As a special initiative, the Chief Minister has waived pilgrims’ tax

 

West Bengal Tourism is also promoting Gangasagar and its surrounding islands in a big way. For details log on to  the website.

Is CBI being run by PMO or BJP HQ: Trinamool

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Statement by Derek O’Brien, National Spokesperson and Chief Whip in Rajya Sabha:

January 12, 2015, 2:00 PM

The nasty ploy of using CBI as a political tool by BJP continues. They could not fight us politically in Bengal in Lok Sabha elections, so now these dirty tactics months before corporation elections. We will fight them – strongly, politically.

This is blatant vindictiveness. The so-called summons have not yet reached and BJP honchos are already giving bytes. Is the CBI being run by Narendra Modi’s office? Or by Amit Shah at BJP HQ?

This is a deliberate bid to try and finish all regional parties and they are doing this against many states. Trinamool functioned almost as the main Opposition party in Parliament. By doing this the BJP hopes to silence us. This devious strategy of theirs will not succeed, because, we do not succumb. We fight politically.

Press conference by Partha Chatterjee, Secretary General of the party, at Trinamool Bhavan:

January 12, 2015, 4:00 PM

CBI has become a frontal office for BJP. People will hit the streets against the political vindictiveness by BJP. Party workers, supporters and common people will protest against BJP’s misuse of CBI in every block of the State. We urge our workers not to indulge in road-blockade and bandh politics. We will protest politically against BJP.

 

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জাতীয় মুখপাত্র ডেরেক ও ব্রায়েনের বিবৃতি

১২ই জানুয়ারী, ২০১৫, দুপুর ২টো 

বিজেপি সিবিআইকে রাজনৈতিক হাতিয়ার হিসেবে ক্রমাগত ব্যাবহার করে যাচ্ছে। বাংলায় বিজেপি লোকসভা নির্বাচনে  রাজনৈতিক ভাবে পরাজিত হয়েছিল। সেই জন্য পুরসভা নির্বাচনের এক মাস আগে থেকে তারা এই নোংরা কৌশল নিয়েছে। আমরা ওঁদের বিরুদ্ধে দৃঢ়তার সঙ্গে রাজনৈতিকভাবে লড়ব।

একটা ভয়ঙ্কর প্রতিহিংসার খেলা চলছে। সমন এসে পৌঁছানোর আগেই বিজেপির দলীয় মুখপাত্ররা বাইট দিতে শুরু করেছেন।

সিবিআই কি নরেন্দ্র মোদির দপ্তরের নির্দেশেই চলছে? নাকি বিজেপির অমিত সাহের নির্দেশে? খুব নিপুণভাবে সমস্ত আঞ্চলিক দলগুলোকে শেষ করে দেওয়ার চেষ্টা করা হচ্ছে আর অন্যান্য রাজ্যেও তারা একই জিনিস করে চলেছে।

তৃণমূলই সংসদে প্রধান বিরোধী দলের ভূমিকা পালন করছে। এই সব করে ওরা আমাদের মুখ বন্ধ করতে পারবে না। এদের এই ভ্রান্ত কৌশল কখনই সফল হবে না। আমরা কখনই হেরে যাব না। রাজনৈতিকভাবে আন্দোলন আমরা চালিয়ে যাব।

মহাসচিব পার্থ চট্ট্যোপাধ্যায়ের বক্তব্যঃ

১২ই জানুয়ারী, ২০১৫, বিকেল ৪টা 

সিবিআই বিজেপির ফ্রন্টাল অফিসে পরিণত হয়েছে। জনগণই বিজেপির এই রাজনৈতিক প্রতিহিংসার প্রতিবাদ করবে।

সিবিআইকে এইভাবে অপব্যাবহারের বিরুদ্ধে দলের কর্মী, সমর্থক এবং সাধারণ মানুষ বিজেপির বিরুদ্ধে ব্লকে ব্লকে প্রতিবাদ জানাবে।

আমরা আমাদের দলীয় কর্মীদের অনুরোধ করবো তারা যেন রাস্তা অবরোধ এবং বন্ধের রাজনীতি থেকে বিরত থাকেন।

 

Swami Vivekananda’s thoughts still relevant today: Mamata Banerjee

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To commemorate the 153rd birthday of Swami Vivekananda in a befitting manner, a 3­day “Vivek Chetna Utsav” is being celebrated all over the state.

On the first day of the programme the State Government observed “Khel Dibas”, to promote excellence in sports and games among our youth along the ideals of Swami ji.

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee paid homage to the great icon on social media as well. On Sunday evening she tweeted that January 12, the 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda has been declared State Government holiday.

She also tweeted a few quotes by Swami ji:

Mamata Banerjee also tweeted that Trinamool will celebrate occasion in every block. The newly formed Jai Hind Bahini has taken up initiatives like Prabhat Pheri, seminars, debates, cultural programmes etc. throughout the State.

Mamata Banerjee’s Facebook page crosses 1 million ‘likes’

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Ms Mamata Banerjee on Friday thanked her Facebook friends as the number of ‘likes’ on her official page crossed the one million mark.

“Thank you so much my Facebook friends! On last Sunday, my Facebook Page likes have crossed one million mark in number,” she wrote in her Facebook page.

As a token of her appreciation she shared musicals by some of the greats in this field. “To convey my thanks in a special way, I have some musicals played by Bickram Ghosh, Ustad Rashid Khan, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumder, Usha Uthup, Pulak Sarkar, Gopal Barman, Joyti Goho and Allarakha, to share with you”, she added.

Mamata Banerjee, who is very social media savvy, recently joined Twitter where she gained over 8000 followers in just a week.

Like her Facebook page here: http://goo.gl/MirW31

Follow her on Twitter:  http://goo.gl/X14aFp

Swami Vivekananda Mamata Banerjee

We are committed to developing sports infrastructure in Bengal: WB CM at Vivek Chetana Utsav

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On the occasion of 152nd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the Department of Sports & Department of Youth Services, Government of West Bengal is organising a 3-day Vivek Chetana Utsav, in association with Ramakrishna Math and Mission from 10-12 January, 2015.

A centralised programme was inaugurated at Netaji Indoor Stadium earlier today by WB CM Mamata Bandyopadhyay and General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission Swami Suhitanandaji Maharaj.

On this occasion WB CM gave away the ‘Khel Sanman’ awards to the eminent players and financial grants were provided to club organisations. From now, every year January 10 will be celebrated as ‘Khel Divas’.

On 11 and 12 January, 2015 the Vivek Chetana Utsav will be organised in 341 Blocks, 121 Municipalities, 15 Boroughs of Kolkata Municipal Corporation including 5 Corporations and in all the District Headquarters in the State.

Highlights of WB CM speech:

  • We are honouring 19 sports icons today including veteran sportsperson like PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and others. We will also give financial assistance to various clubs.
  • Local clubs at grassroots are keeping the tradition of sports alive. Sports and culture and complementary.
  • We will give Rs 2 lakh to 3500 clubs for infrastructure development.
  • 3500 clubs will get Rs 1 lakh for infrastructure development.
  • We have given assistance to upcoming sports players at grassroots.
  • Budget for Sports Ministry has been increased fivefold. We are building infrastructure.
  • We dedicated Yuva Bharti Krirangan to Swami Vivekananda.
  • Belur Math has always been involved in social work. They have always stood beside the people.
  •  Swami Vivekananda won hearts at Chicago Conference.
  • We are setting up a Centre of Excellence in the name of Swami Vivekananda at Rajarhat.
  • Sister Nivedita’s house was acquired and handed over to Ramakrishna Mission.
  • We have taken the initiative to preserve the ancestral home of Maa Sarada.
  • We have set up two chairs – at Calcutta University and Presidency University – after Swami Vivekananda.
  • Swami Vivekananda stood for the youth. He called for dedication, devotion and determination.
  • We have to overcome all hurdles and keep moving ahead. This is the ideal of Swami Vivekananda.
  • We have to believe in Sarva Dharma Samany.
  • The teachings and ideals of icons like Swami Vivekananda will never die. They are immortal.

 

WB CM felicitates sports icons with Khel Samman:

  • Dola Banerjee (Archery), Trisha Deb (Archery), Sourav Ghoshal (Table Tennis) receives Khel Samman for 2014.
  • PK Banerjee (veteran footballer) and Gurbux Singh (Hockey) honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award.
  • Amal Dutta, Joyprokash Chakrabarty, Joydeep Mukherjee honoured with Krira Guru Samman.
  • Rita Sen, Saraswati Saha, Sanjay Kumar Rai (Athletics) honoured with Banglar Gourab Samman.
  • Manoj Guha, Deepu Ghosh ( Badmninton) honoured with Banglar Gaurab Samman.
  • Malay Roy (Body-building) receives Banglar Gaurab Samman.
  • Tushar Kanti Sil (Body-building) receives Banglar Gaurab Samman.
  • Shakti Majumder (Boxing) receives Banglar Gaurab Samman.
  • Gopal Krishna Ghosh (Cricket) receives Banglar Gaurab Samman.
  • Supravat Chakraborty(Cycling) receives Banglar Gaurab Samman.
  • Pradip Chowdhury (Football) receives Banglar Gaurab Samman.
  • Shankar Banerjee (Football) receives Banglar Gaurab Samman.
  • Footballer Mihir Baran Basu and Tarun Kumar Bose receive Banglar Gaurab Samman.

 

Image: File Photo of WB CM paying tributes to Swami Vivekananda

WB CM to hold business meets in districts

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WB CM Ms Mamata Banerjee will carry forward the success of Bengal Global Business Summit by organising meetings of captains of industry, core committees and various chambers of commerce at district level.

The CM is scheduled to leave for North Bengal on 19 January. During her trip she will hold a meeting with business chambers of the six districts.

Mati Utsav will be held at Panagarh on 28 January and the next day the CM will hold a business meeting with various chambers of commerce from districts like Purulia, Bankura etc at Asansol.

Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee will also felicitate officials who “worked hard to make Global Bengal Business Summit” a success. She said a “Thanksgiving Day” will be held on 14 January for the officials. She said the summit has been a pride for Bengal and investments worth Rs 2.43 lakh crore has been received from it.

“Mahatma Gandhi’s Tirodhan Divas will be observed as Sampriti Divas on 30 January in the state,” said the Chief Minister. The same day, a programme will be held to provide loans to minorities.

She will hold a meeting with workers of unorganised sector next month.

Bengal tourism

Bengal puts special emphasis on Tourism

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Tourism has been a focus area for the West Bengal Government. The budgetary allocation has been increased from Rs 32 crore during the previous regime to Rs 180 crore for the year 2014-15. The government is soon going to come up with a new Tourism Policy; several suggestions were made regarding the same at the breakaway session on tourism at the Bengal Global Business Summit 2015.

 

Takeaways from the breakaway session on tourism:

  • Various tax incentives and relaxation of entertainment tax, luxury tax to be given to promote investment in tourism sector.
  • Up to 75% Vat return for creation of mega tourism projects.
  • Incentives will be provided for creating job opportunities in tourism sector.
  • Special emphasis laid on attracting tourist during Durga Puja and other cultural festivals.
  • New policy declared for development of Darjeeling, Dooars, Kolkata and Sundarbans as places of primary tourist spot.
  • Ropeways to be installed in hills areas.
  • Kolkata International Airport has ‘Visa on Arrival’ facility. Emphasis to be given on developing places of tourist attracting to places near the airport.

 

Investment proposals for Tourism sector finalised in the summit:

  • Mayfair group to  Invest 1200 crore.
  • South City group to build up a gateway to Sundarbans with an investment of 1000 crore.
  • 15,000 crore investment for building up “smart cities.”
  • Pinnacle Air to start air operations within Kolkata, Durgapur, Bagdogra, Coochbehar.
  • The total investment proposals received in the Hotel and Resorts are in the tune of Rs 1750 crore.
  • Major proposals in setting up hotels and proposals received from: The Park, Kolkata (Rs 50 crore), Airport hotel (Rs 30 crore), Crowne Plaza (Rs 450 crore).
  • 5 star hotels and resorts by Ambuja Group in Newtown, Makaibari Tea Estate, Kurseong, Sonagon, Sundarbans, Digha, Latguri, Ghom, Darjeeling and Gorumara Forest with a total investment of Rs 500 crore.
  • PPP projects under Tourism sector worth investment of Rs 200 crore.

 

Three new beaches in the Gangasagar have already been approved. A new deep sea port at “Bhor Sagor” will come up with an investment of more than 12,000 crore.  Circuit tourism is being developed in Digha, Darjeeling, Dooars, Jangalmahal and Gangasagar.  Tourism is being developed under the PPP model in places like Gajoldoba, Jharkhali, Sabujdwip. New eco parks, luxury cottages, resorts are being set up in rapid pace in places across Bengal.

Kanyashree Bengal

Kanyashree impact: School dropout rate among girls falls in Bengal

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That actions speak louder than words is exemplified yet again by West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee. Her vision is showcased through her mission. Kanyashree, the internationally acclaimed project started by the Government of West Bengal, has borne fruit.

According to data from the National Sample Survey 2014, the school dropout rate among girls in the State has come down. The report says that while the National average for school dropout rate for girls is 3.23%, the same for the State is 1.28%. In the 2009 survey, the figure stood at 2.34% for Bengal.

About the scheme

The Kanyashree Scheme was inaugurated by the Trinamool Congress government in October, 2013, with the express purpose of ensuring the education of girls and thereby preventing forced child marriage.

Under the scheme, the government provides an annual scholarship of Rs. 500 to girls between 12 and 18 years (class eight to class 12) to continue with their studies, provided they are unmarried. A one-time grant of Rs 25,000 is also provided to the girl, once she reaches the age of 18, to pursue higher studies.

International recognition

The project was applauded by UNICEF which partnered with the State for implementation. The project also received international recognition by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and State representatives were invited to the London Girls’ Summit 2014 in to talk about the scheme in front of a global audience.

Didi speaking at Bengal Global Summit

WB CM sets time frame for all projects at Bengal Global Summit

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There were many positive takeaways from the two-day Bengal Global Business Summit 2015 that drew to a close here on Thursday. While the proposed investment of a mind-boggling Rs 2.43 lakh crore was definitely the high point, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s statement on land for industry drew the high-fives. Ms Mamata Banerjee thanked Captains of the Industry and her team for making the Summit a grand success.

Another positive outcome of the summit was that investments were not only sought and received for brick-and-mortar industries but for the crucial human resource development sector.

The Chief Minister announced the setting up of many state and private colleges, universities and technical and management institutes to create a pool of skilled manpower for industry and social sectors. She said that 10 lakh unemployed youths would be trained in technical skills within 10 years under the MoUs signed with various skill providers at the summit.

 

WB CM with industrialists at Bengal Global Summit
WB CM with industrialists at Bengal Global Summit

 

Once the proposed investments start fructifying in two to three years, more than 1 crore jobs would be created in Bengal. Land, Ms Banerjee stressed once more, would not be a problem. She mentioned Bengal’s land bank and said adequate land was available to set up smart cities and urban centres all over the state.

She also invited hospitality players to invest in unexplored tourist destinations in Bengal. The proposed Kolkata-Siliguri corridor could be turned into an industrial corridor and would change the face of Bengal, she felt.

That WB CM means business was evident from her announcement that she would set up a core team of top bureaucrats and Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra to monitor the implementation of MoUs signed at the summit and pursue the letters of intent received from investors.

An administrative calendar would be chalked out, setting deadlines for implementation of various stages of a project and a time frame for granting clearances and permits for every proposal. The next edition of the summit would be held on January 8 and 9 next year, she announced.

Bengal Global Summit

Here’s what captains of industry said about Bengal Global Summit

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Bengal Global Business Summit was a landmark event. Bengal means business was the takeaway message from the two-day event.

Here’s what various captains of industry and delegates from the world said about the Summit:

It was a landmark event. I was pleasantly surprised at the scale of the investment proposed and the enthusiasm shown by potential investors. I feel optimistic that Bengal will play part in the resurgence of Indian economy Harsh Neotia | CHAIRMAN, AMBUJA-NEOTIA GROUP

It was a landmark event. We have signed some major investment proposals, including the MRTS hub. It will add to the rejuvenation of manufacturing in Bengal.This will also bring additional foreign direct investment in the state that we already got through the airport Partho Ghosh | MD, BAPL

It was a splendid effort by the state and my compliments to the CM and her team. This has sent a very positive message to the world and also shown that the Indian leaders are giving priority to economic development over political ideologies Umesh Chowdhary | VC, TITAGARH GROUP

The summit was very well-organized and saw a very good turnout. It was interesting to see many industrialists and investors from all over India and the world here. This is my first time in Kolkata and I was pleasantly surprised by the developments in Bengal. I shall make my govt and businessmen in my country aware of the investment possibilities in Bengal San Schreiner | AMBASSADOR OF LUXEMBOURG TO INDIA

West Bengal is taking firm steps towards consolidating its position as a potential tourist destination of India. Our state has unparalleled tourism products that are unique in terms of its beauty, rich culture and history Vijay Diwan | MD, APEEJAY SURRENDRA PARK HOTELS

Tremendous positive enthusiasm has been created by the CM and the FM about the prospects of our state and if manufacturing projects and especially the river highway logistics are expedited, the fortunes of Bengal will unquestionably change Ghanshyam Sarda | CHAIRMAN, SARDA GROUP

I would rate the summit as a very successful event. This time we build `Brand West Bengal’ Sumit Mazumdar | VC & MD, TIL

The profile of Bengal has changed in the country. Now everybody will be positive about Bengal M K Jalan | CHAIRMAN, KEVENTER GROUP