December 9, 2019
Thank you for choosing our representative: Mamata Banerjee at Kharagpur
Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today inaugurated and laid foundation stones of several projects at Kharagpur in Paschim Medinipur.
Here are the excerpts of her speech:
I came here to congratulate and thank all Medinipur. You have chosen our representative. In the by-elections, Kharagpur has led us to victory and we would like to pay the people back for supporting us.
Medinipur is a railway based district. Many young people here are working in the Railway. The future is dangerous. I don’t know what is going to be happened. They are even planning to sell railways. If it happens I promise to stand shoulder to shoulder with you people in the protest.
It can be Air India, Railways, Ordnance Factory or BSNL or Bengal Chemicals, they are selling everything. They merged the banks. Bank says, you cannot withdraw over Rs 1 lakh. They don’t give guarantee our money.
Standing on a government platform I can say proudly in Bangla Poverty Alleviation programme Bangla is on No 1 in country. We have decreased poverty. I thank to all Government employees, representatives, officers and people for this.
We have decreased unemployment by 40%, whereas the rate of the unemployment is too high in the rest of the country.
We are proud of this Bengal. Bangla is no 1 in Business. Income of farmers has increased by 3 times. We are proud of this Bengal.
Onion is Rs 140 per kilo today. Price hike is the subject of the Centre. Did they take any action or seat any meeting? We give subsidy when potato price rises. We give subsidy to Bulbul or flood affected farmers. Today onion price is somewhere Rs 130, somewhere 150 or 200. Onion production is important no one thought this before us. There was no production of onion in Bangla. We have taken it to 6 lakh metric tonnes today. Onion cannot be produced everywhere. We will do the rest in upcoming times.
We have an agreement with the Central Government agency NABARD. They were supposed to give us 200 metric tonnes onions. They had delivered us only 10 metric tonnes. And another 10 metric tonnes were rotten. We are still the only state who is giving the subsidy of Rs 50 per kilo in almost 1100 shops. The number will be increased from tomorrow. PDS or Self-help groups or Sufal Bangla will do the job. We have decided it to give at Rs 59 per kilo. We are trying our best for the betterment of the people.
I am requesting all my farmer friends to do the mutation first. I am instructing DM to make it with the special camp. Farmers don’t need to pay any money for the mutation of their land. We don’t take money. There is no need to pay tax for agricultural property. Our Government has removed it.
I request to register all farmers’ name making special camp. As a result, if any farmer dies in between 18 to 60, the family will get Rs 2 lakh from the Government under Krishak bandhu scheme. Farmers must do Shashya Beema. Under this scheme our Government pay Rs 700 crore premium for any loss in farming. Farmers don’t need to pay the premiums. We do not take money for the Government of India. We pay this.
One lakh people, who did not have any right in khas jungle, have been given land patta.
Government has already started helping Bulbul affected people.
Farmers who will sell rice must know, you should not go through any broker. Go to Dhan Bikray Kendra by yourself. Sell your crops by yourself. You will get Rs 20 per quintal. Government will pay the extra money. I think the price range will be Rs 1835 this year. The Government will buy your crops. After checking we will pay you Rs 20 extra per bag. Don’t listen to anyone. People will say you to sell it at 1400. They will keep the rest 400. Some Department may collect it from the remote villages.
I am proud of my kanyashree girls. They are studying in schools, colleges and Universities. K1, K2, K3. We are giving Rs 2000 scholarship to Arts students and 2500 to science students in Universities. We are giving Rs 25000 to them for their marriage under Rupashree scheme.
There is Shamajik Surakkha Jojona for the labors, small-shop owners, auto drivers, toto drivers and specially, construction labourers. There are numerous schemes where in you can get a pension of Rs 1500 per month.
The government provides a soft loan of 20,000 for students from the tribal community who go for their studies abroad. We have initiated plans to clear SC, St and OBC certificates within 1 month. Previously getting these certificates took a long period of time, but we have decided to shorten the process on the basis of birth certificates. So if one member of the family has a minority certificate the other members are also eligible for it.
People must keep in mind that even after paying off a debt of Rs 50,000 Crore per year, we give these schemes for the benefit of the people.
We have Established six new colleges, four multi super hospitals, 3 multi super hospitals in the district, a University in John Graham and a University In memory of Vidyasagar is being built in Tamluk.
I signed five acre lands for a University in Midnapore. This land will be used to improve the infrastructure of with the Vidyasagar University.
I was told that the people of this district need an ICCU. To fulfil the demands of the people I have decided to start a special ICCU ward with 10 beds in Kolhapur Hospital within the march of the Year 2020.
Kharagpur lacked a Sports Stadium. Previously I had allotted Rs 5 Crore from the MP fund for the stadium. The field and boundary Is ready. Today I have allotted another Rs 5 Crore for the gallery. And I will instruct to concentrate on building the gallery properly instead of focusing on luxurious Club rooms.
I have instructed PWD to construct the road connecting Kharagpur.
I have allocated Rs 15 crore for three Community Halls to be built, in Kharagpur, Kaliaganj and Karimpur. These can be used for community purposes such as holding meetings like in Kolkata. We have built such halls going by the name Joy Hind.
Here we have icons like Vidyasagar, Matangini Hazra, Kshudiram Bose and Satish Samanta. These Community Halls must be built out of their memory. I will urge the people to assimilate the spirit of our heroes within all for this is a cosmopolitan land and we must be inclusive.
We have constructed nursing school in Lalgarh, stadium to polytechnic college in Noygram, university in Jhargram. We have constructed Multi super speciality hospital, bridge in Medinipur. We have spent Rs 700 crore for Kopaleswari programme.
Ghatal Master Plan is Central policy. We are waiting and trying for it. We have done so many such works from Medinipur east to Medinipur west to Jhargram to Bankura to Bishnupur to Purulia to Durgapur to Asansol , Burdwan, Birbhum and all.
We have constructed Iskon temple in Krishnanagar too.
We are organising a business conclave at newly contracted convention centre on Digha sea beach. Many foreign countries will come. We will have a conference there regarding business investment. We are planning to develop the tourism. People will come there for meeting. That’s why we made the convention centre there. The place will be flourished. We are advanced in education, civilization and culture. Don’t get afraid. Work peacefully.
Collect a copy of ration card. There is registration process for digital ration card till December 15. There are two type of ration card. One is ordinary. And the other one is that we have made for you, no one else, for address verification. People who don’t take ration but must keep the other card to keep the address verified.
I feel sorry when I see in my Bangla people became scared of the fettibaj explanation. 30 people died for this. Some of them even committed suicide. We all are will you. Why are you scared? Some people only give lecture not ration or life, job or culture. They only invite death. We are not with them. We don’t snatch lives. Young generation should stand high, study properly. All works are equally important. We are proud of all. We have to protect our mothers and sisters. Bangla will show the path. Vidyasagar had introduced widow remarriage, Rammohan abolished satidaha. Rabindranath started rakhi bandhan saying “ Banglar mati banglar jol” . Swami Vivekanada said all religions are equal. Matangini Hazra took a bullet in her chest but didn’t run away.
We have given fund of different projects to 7000 people today in this programme. Five crore people will get Swastho Swathi card. Please register your name in Swastho Swathi project. We only do work. It’s our only responsibility. We will be with people. Satyameva Jayate.
