Author: admin2

Bangla has several advantages with respect to industrial development:

Strategic Location

• Gateway to south-east Asia and north-east India
• Shares international frontiers with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan
• Well-connected with the booming hubs of Asia such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia
• Hinterland comprises mineral-rich states such as Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh
• Naturally beautiful: The Himalayas, the Dooars, riverine delta of the Sundarbans and beaches

Robust physical infrastructure

• 3rd largest road network of the country – of more than 3.15 lakh km
• Natural maritime advantages – 950km of waterfront
• Two international airports – Kolkata and Bagdogra
• New airport in Andal has potential for becoming a major hub, as it is located in the State’s mineral-rich zone
• Leading in the country in terms of spread, density and reach of National Inland Waterways
• About 4,000km of railway tracks
• 2nd largest Metro Rail network

Leading growth engine of the country

• Largest in India in power distribution, quality and availability
• India’s highest bank credit flow to MSMEs
• Highest producer of vegetables in the country
• 2nd largest in tea production
• 3rd largest in mineral production in India
  Zero man-days lost
• Kolkata first metro city in the country with Wi-Fi connectivity on 4G

To take advantage of these advantages, the Trinamool Congress Government has created suitable policies, which have been enumerated below:

Key reforms implemented 

• Time-bound delivery of services enacted under Right to Public Services Act
• Single-window system for business enacted through Single Window Act
• Self-declaration and self-clarification introduced
• No clearance or consent required for industries under ‘White’ and ‘exempted’ categories
• Online web-based information dissemination
• E-services and single window system for business
• Industry Facilitation Centre (IFC) in every district
• Simplification of process or procedures – decentralisation and reduced documentation
• GIS Maps

Steps for ease of doing business

• Dedicated single-window agency established
• Online single-window portal for business approvals – www.silpasathi.in
  Time-bound service delivery
• Transparency and ease of access to information
• Business processes streamlined
• E-platform for service delivery created
• Online application for incentives

As a result of the implementation of various policies, the government has won several awards over the last few years. The State is also first in the country in several sectors.

Awards won

• E-Abgari won National E-Governance Award for 2017-18
• E-Taxation won National E-Governance Award for 2014-15
• Integrated Financial Management System won CSI-Nihilent Award of Excellence in 2015
• Bangla Govt won Krishi Karman Award for 5 consecutive years for record production of pulses, foodgrains (total amount), rice, coarse cereals and oilseeds

First in the country to/in …

• integrate with e-KUBER of RBI
• have inter-treasury transfers within the government exchequer
  generation of person-days in 100 Days’ Work Scheme, in terms of project expenditure
• rural housing, with an investment of Rs 1,8361 crore since 2011-12
  achieve 100% implementation of Business Reforms Action Plan 2017

Since the Trinamool Congress Government took over in May 2011, there has been relentless growth of Bangla.

Year after year, the State’s performance in various sectors has been on rise – industry, MSME, agriculture, health and several others.

In terms of growth, Bangla is now among the top States, having surpassed the national average in several aspects too.

• Fiscal deposit to gross state domestic product (FD: GSDP) ratio: Best-performing State in FY 2015-16 (Revised Estimate) among general category States (GCS)
• Growth rating debt stock: Reduced from 14.65% during 2000-11 to 9.61% during 2011-18
• Tax revenue to GSDP ratio: Increased from 4.85% during 2000-11 to 5.29% during 2011-18
• Online revenue collection: 90% of the revenue (Rs 46,300 crore)

Metrics in which the State’s growth is better than the national average growth

• GVA (current prices): State – 14.99% in 2017-18, India – 9%
• GDP (current prices): State (GSDP) – 15.06% in 2017-18, India – 9.5%
• Per capita GDP (current prices): State – 13.92% in 2017-18, India – 8.1%
• Per capita GDP (constant prices): State – Increased from 4.8% in 2015-16 to 10.36% in 2017-18; India – declined from 6.7% in 2015-16 to 5.2% in 2017-18

Among other things, Bangla is number one in extending credit for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), skill development, ease of doing business (EODB) and transparency in work, and allotment of the highest number of contracts via e-tendering.

The State’s tax collection has also grown by over two times. The expenditure on physical and social infrastructure has increased almost four-fold. With more than 90 lakh jobs created, the unemployment rate has dropped by almost 40 per cent.

The 4th Bengal Global Business Summit in 2018 saw the participation of more than 4500 representatives from 32 countries, 1,046 business-to-business (B2B) meetings, 402 business-to-government (B2G) meetings and the signing of 110 memoranda of understanding (MoU). The State received investment proposals worth about Rs 2.2 lakh crore, which translates to a job potential of over 20 lakh.

The first Hill Business Summit last March, held in Darjeeling, saw investment proposals worth Rs 2,000 crore.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today called off the ‘Save India’ dharna at Metro Channel, Kolkata. She took this decision on the request of all the Opposition leaders. However, the protests will continue in Delhi next week (February 13-14).

Highlights of the Chief Minister’s speech:

We want to thank everyone from Omar Abdullah to Mehbooba Mufti, Babulal Marandi to Hemant Soren, Hardik Patel to Jignesh Mevani, Stalin, Tejaswi Yadav, BJD party, Arvind Kejriwal and others who have extended their support.

We want to thank all the associations, organisations and the cultural world for extending their support.

This is not a Trinamool dharna. This is a political ‘Satyagrah’ movement. I have maintained from the beginning. This dharna was to save our democracy, to save the Constitution, to save the federal structure, the IAS officers, administrative officers.

When we are fighting a battle collectively, I cannot take a decision without consulting all the parties of United India. We consulted with Chandrababu Naidu Ji, Tejaswi and even Devegowda Ji spoke to me this morning.

This dharna is a victory for Bengal. This is a victory for the country. This dharna is a victory for democracy, federal structure and the Constitution.

The Supreme Court gave a very positive verdict, for the people, by the people and of the people. We have decided to call off the dharna here today. However, the protest will continue in Delhi next week.

I have done dharnas in the past, sometimes for 21 days (against custodial deaths) and 26 days (during Singur movement). I can continue. But the request came from other political parties.

We have got justice from one pillar of democracy – the judiciary. The court has clearly said there can be no coercive action or arrest. They have repeated what they had said earlier, about meeting at a neutral place. We will abide by that. Our police has already initiated action to respond to Supreme Court order.

It came to my notice that Rajnath Singh, the Home Minister, has sent a letter to the Governor. The Home Ministry wants to know why Rajeev Kumar joined my dharna. The entire media – local, national and even international – were present. Did anyone see Rajeev Kumar on the dias with me?

Why have they lost their sleep over a police officer? Why are they having nightmares? They want to take action against Rajeev Kumar. What is this? He never joined the dharna. This is a blatant lie.

As per protocol, it is the duty of police officials to be present with the Chief Minister, Governor or the Prime Minister to give protection and security. That is the law. So, can they not even come here to talk to me?

There is a separate room next to this stage, where we even held a Cabinet meeting yesterday.

Do they think they can do anything? This is political vendetta. They are controlling all the central agencies and now want to control the state agencies also?

Mr Prime Minister, please resign from Delhi and go back to Gujarat, if people elect you.

They want to meddle in law and order, agriculture, education. They want to control everything. Is this a one-man rule? Then there is no need for democracy.

The Indian Constitution delineates the role of Centre and States. Both the governments have their own jurisdiction. They have become desperate.

From political parties to IAS/IPS officers, media to civil officers – no one is being spared. They think they are the only nationalists, and everyone else is an outsider.

We have to oust them from power. We have to oust, we have to oust, we have to oust.

Atrocities should be stopped. We will fight together. We will only allow Constitutional and legal provisions. We will abide by law. We are disciplined soldiers.

I have lakhs of police officers. They are doing their duty. DOes the SPG not accompany the PM to political meetings? Their police can go to political meetings and our forces cannot come to the dharna? What ‘kala kanoon’ is this?

The letter from the MHA is ‘valueless’. Don’t worry, we will respond to it.

They are very bad, very sad, very mad. May God bless them. May wisdom prevail on them.

Highlights of Mamata Banerjee’s press conference at 2 PM from the dharna manch at Metro Channel, Kolkata

Some media trying to mislead the people by saying that Kolkata Commissioner of Police will have to face CBI. This is not right. Supreme Court said that CP and CBI can meet at mutually convenient place

Supreme Court has clearly said that CBI cannot take coercive steps or arrest the CP. This is what we wanted. We thank the judiciary. The CBI had tried to carry out a secret operation at CP’s residence on Sunday evening.

A government will come and go, but democracy is a continuous process.

I would request the media to misinterpret the court order. I request them not to do so. I do not know if someone is feeding them false information.

BJP is wrong to say that we are not allowing them to hold meetings in the State. If they ask for permission of a rally 3-4 hours before the event, what can administration do? Their party President addressed a rally immediately after he was discharged from hospital; was that meeting stopped?

In fact, when I had gone for rallies to Mumbai and Bihar, they did not even extend the courtesy of allotting the circuit house. They should not lecture us on political courtesy.

Are all sins washed off when some criminal, goon or dacoit joins BJP? They are joining your party because of protection from CBI, IT or ED.

BJP should set its house in order first before pointing fingers at others.

Even we demanded CBI probes in the past because it was an impartial investigating agency. We respect the CBI when they do not work with political vendetta.

Look at CBI’s track record. What happened to Tapasi Malik’s case? Did the CBI recover Tagore’s Nobel prize? Did Nandigram get justice?

The alacrity with which CBI acts on Modi Bhai, Amit Bhai’s requests, wish they showed a fraction of that interest in retrieving Rabindranath’s Nobel.

If you (CBI) are so effective an agency, please recover Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel prize. We repeatedly requested you to give us the documents about the case, so that we can investigate. Have you ever handed over those evidences?

I thank Devegowda Ji for extending his support to our movement. I thank all the political parties for extending their support to this movement. We are grateful to them.

Various business chambers in Bengal lauded the state government’s Budget presented by Finance minister Amit Mitra on Monday.

President of MCCI said that full exemption of Education Cess and Rural Employment Cess for Tea gardens has been extended for two more years, which would help the tea industry grow. He appreciated the prudent fiscal management of the state, by which revenue deficit has come down to 0.96 percent. Fiscal deficit as a percentage of GSDP has also gone down to 2.83 percent.

Meanwhile, the Bengal Chamber thinks that the Budget has brought in good news for revenue deficit of the state, which has been reduced to zero for 2019-20. The Budget has announced additional income for poorer sections of the society, namely contractual group C and D workers, as well as self-employed persons.

The Chamber feels that the fast growth of the industrial sector and GSDP will generate additional revenue to the state, so that on debt head, Bengal needs only a 10 percent rise in this Budget, compared to an increase of almost 55 percent during the last Budget. The Chamber also feels that the Budget has given stress on demands of farmers, social sector and poorer sections of the society, as well as MSMEs.

President, Bharat Chamber of Commerce, said: “From the industry perspective, the full exemption given to tea gardens from the payment of Educational and Rural Employment Cess for the next two financial years is indeed laudable.”

“The state’s achievement of a GSDP growth of nearly 12 percent in the last fiscal clearly states that the government has been able to drive aggregate demand and create more and better employment for the youth,” he added.

Source: Millennium Post

To ensure that the people of Bangla get all manner of public services as mandated by the State Government, as per the rules, the West Bengal Right to Public Services Act, 2013 was brought into force.

The State Consumer Affairs Departments oversees this aspect, and the name, ‘Somoyer Sathi, Aapnar Sathe’ has been given to the structure for ensuring timely implementation of government services.

Twenty-three State departments have already issued advertisements for making people aware of the government’s responsibility towards giving the services, as per various rules and regulations.

As per the ads, to get any government service, one should visit the designated departmental official and submit a written request for the service through Form-1.

One should remember to take the stamped acknowledgement slip, attached to Form-1. If the person is not given the acknowledgement form or does not received the service as promised, an appeal can be files through Form-2 and submitted to the appellate official.

To ensure the proper disbursal of all services, the West Bengal Right to Public Service Commission (WBRPSC) was formed, as per the Right to Public Services Act, 2013. The commission is in regular touch with all government departments to ensure proper administering of all public services.

The WBRPSC can be contacted at Consumer Affairs Bhavan, 5th Floor, 11A Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata 700087, or at (033) 22093727 or at somyersathi@gmail.com.

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The State Agricultural Marketing Department is constructing a seven-storeyed supermarket for selling organic vegetables named ‘Joibo Haat’ (‘joibo’ means ‘organic’ in Bengali) in New Town.

It will provide space to farmers to sell vegetables. A food court and a laboratory will also be housed there.

The West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) has provided the department 14.77 cottah of land for the supermarket. The construction will cost around Rs 11.40 crore.

The ground, first and second floors will house the organic market. The third floor will house an organic food court. The fifth floor will house the advanced laboratory and an office. On the sixth floor, a guest house will be set up.

The advanced laboratory will conduct research on organic farming. Importantly too, it will work in identifying whether a vegetable is organic or not, the first laboratory in the State to conduct such testing. Currently, to do this, samples are sent to other States, which is a costly affair. The laboratory will also work in motivating farmers to use organic fertilisers instead of the chemical ones.

The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) is already doing rooftop farming in one of the market buildings using organic fertilisers. The New Town municipally authority is also encouraging residents to start rooftop farming.

Source: Millennium Post

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