On July 25, the State Institute of Hotel Management was inaugurated. It is a concept of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who named the project, Aahoran.
The institute is located in Durgapur. A degree course in hotel management has already begun in the institute from this academic year. A short-term course of 52 weeks (one year) will also be taught at the institute. There are 60 seats for the course.
The State Government has spent Rs 12 crore to set up Aahoran, spread over 5 acres, with the institute proper occupying 75,000 square feet. A hostel, with 200 rooms, is under construction.
The tourism minister, who inaugurated the institute, said: “To take Bengal to the world stage, we need educated and skilled human resources. We have to focus on services sector apart from training skilled labour.”
The State Government is taking all possible measures to become self-reliant in fish production in the next few years, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the State Assembly on July 26. She gave a comprehensive statement on the projects and activities that the Fisheries Department has taken up.
Already the fish deficit has been brought down drastically through various projects all over the State. Not just that, fishes with export potential are also being farmed in increasing numbers, especially salt or brackish-water fishes in the coastal districts.
In Bengal, the demand for fish is 18.84 lakh metric tonnes per year and the production is 17.42 lakh metric tonnes. The present and future planned schemes would soon be able to make up this deficit and on top of that, produce enough to export to other States. Around 1.5 lakh metric tonnes are exported outside India every year.
Around 700 agricultural ponds have been identified for fish cultivation and fish rearing has been taken up in 75,000 of the ponds renovated under the ‘Jal Dharo Jal Bharo’ scheme.
Hatchlings have been distributed in many places. The Chief Minister also mentioned that the Fisheries and Tourism Departments have joined hands to develop the concept of fish tourism. Fish tourism has already been started at Nalban in Kolkata and Henry’s Island near Bakkhali in South 24 Parganas.
The Chief Minister also said that people in Bengal have a special liking for small fishes like mourola, puti, bata, etc. However, these tasty fishes are hardly consumed by people in other States. Now efforts are being made to give people across the country a taste of Bengal. Not just exporting to other States, the Government, through the State Fisheries Development Corporation, is opening restaurants in various places and participating in food fairs.
It may be mentioned that the State Fisheries Department has adopted the Moyna Model in nine districts where river water is being channelised to ponds for fish cultivation at a brisk pace. The current plan is have 15 districts adopt the Moyna Model by this year.
The State Fisheries Department has endeavoured to give every manner of infrastructural help to fishermen, including fish research facilities to increase yield and to experiment on newer and more profitable species.
Storage infrastructure: As part of the ‘cold chain scheme’, the department has been sanctioned money for the construction of cold storages and, through the distribution of bicycles with insulated boxes, the development of transit and terminal markets, including retail outlets. Eight cold storages and six ice plants have been constructed.
Khuti societies: The State Government provides financial aid for the development of khuti societies, that is, fish drying centres. A total of 53 khuti societies in Contai and Diamond Harbour benefit from this aid. Considering essential aspects, the aid includes money for the operation and maintenance of the khutis or fish drying centres, including wages for khuti attendants and sweepers, development of khuti infrastructure like link roads, submersible pumps, solar lights, fish-drying platforms and bamboo structures, supply of hygienic materials and small equipments, and the repair of tube-wells.
Fishing harbours and fish landing centres: Under the department, there are seven minor fishing harbours and 13 fish landing centres. The entry channel at Kakdwip Harbour has been completed. Benfish has constructed modernised fish markets in Kalyani (Nadia district), Bolpur (Birbhum district), Uluberia (Howrah district) and Gangarampur (Dakshin Dinajpur district). Five fish landing centres have been recently constructed benefiting 8,700 fishermen in Indrapur, Satyadaspur, Kantamari, Raidighi/Domkal, Kheyaghat and Namkhana in South 24 Parganas.
Hatchery accreditation: Nineteen hatcheries have been constructed to ensure production of quality fish seed, and 231 hatcheries have been accredited.
Fish markets: Ten fish markets have been constructed – fish seed markets in Sinhati (Bankura district) and Rajendrapur (North 24 Parganas), wholesale and retail fish markets in Haldibari (Cooch Behar), Bolpur (Birbhum), Kalyani (Nadia), Fuleshwar (Howrah) and Udayrampur (South 24 Parganas), Nalban International Ornamental Fish Market, Kantamari (South 24 Parganas) and Jharkhali (South 24 Parganas) markets. Besides these, the upgrading of the wholesale fish market in Howrah is in progress.
Fish research centres: The department is setting up block-level laboratory-cum-training centres for testing water and soil of water bodies to determine suitability for pisciculture. So far 308 have been built; another 25 have been sanctioned. Research on fish and fisheries is being conducted at Pailan Research Centre in South 24 Parganas. At the Fresh Water Research Centre in Kulia near Kalyani in Nadia district, research is being carried out on production of seeds of freshwater fish, including endangered species, ornamental or aquarium fish, etc. The latter has a high export value. Rural women are being trained on ornamental fishery.
Hilsa production & research: To combat the issue of the decline in the catch of hilsa over the past decade, a dedicated Hilsa Conservation and Research Centre (HCRC) has been established at Sultanpur, Diamond Harbour, in collaboration with the Norwegian research institute, Norwegian Institute of Food Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (NOFIMA).
Brackish water fishery: The Government provides substantial aid for increasing the production of fish in regions of brackish water, mainly found in the Sundarbans delta.
The above facts prove that the Trinamool Congress Government is committed to the all-round development of the fisheries sector.
The State Fisheries Department has taken several important measures for the welfare of fishermen, both in professional and personal aspects.
Professional welfare
Primary among the professional welfare facilities are fish transportation facilities, biometric identity cards and on-sea distress alert systems.
Fish transportation facilities: Various fish transportation facilities have been distributed by the State Government – 7,300 Jal-Hundis to inland and marine fishermen as well as among fishermen’s cooperative societies, 1,237 Matsyajans, 10,500 bicycles with insulated boxes as well as 35,000 insulated boxes.
Identity facilitation: Biometric identity cards are being issued by the Government to marine fishermen; about 2.47 lakh identity cards have already been issued. Marine fishing vessels are being registered under the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 (for mechanised boats) and the West Bengal Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1993 (for non-mechanised boats).
Distress alert: For the safety and security of fishermen, the Government has taken up a programme for the free distribution of distress alert transmitters (DAT), to be fitted on to the vessels. A total of 3,656 DATs have been distributed till now.
Mechanised boats: A total of 593 mechanised boats – 93 six-cylinder boats and 500 two-cylinder boats – have been distributed as of now, benefiting 3,430 marine fishermen.
Personal welfare
Several personal welfare initiatives have also been taken for fishermen and their families, including pension for the old, insurance schemes and dwelling units.
Old Age Pension Scheme: The Old Age Pension Scheme is a scheme meant for retired and infirm fishermen. Under this scheme, 56,500 fishermen are getting a pension of Rs 1,000 per month.
Accident insurance: Under Fishermen’s Group Personal Insurance Scheme, financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh is provided to the family members of deceased or untraceable marine fishermen, and Rs 1 lakh to those of permanently disabled marine fishermen. During financial year (FY) 2017-18, 2,21,563 fishermen were covered.
Dwelling units: 14,500 houses have been provided for fishermen and their families.
All these prove that the Trinamool Congress Government has given the utmost attention to the welfare of all fisher-folk in the State, ensuring help in every way possible.
The State Fisheries Department has undertaken various programmes for the development of the fisheries sector across Bengal. It is leading a balanced approach by enhancing fish production and thus ensuring nutritious food for all. Simultaneously, it is looking after the sustainability of fisher-folk by ensuring the adoption of sustainable methods of fishing and fish production.
This approach has brought about considerable poverty alleviation. The Panchayats Department is also actively involved with the Fisheries Department on a few aspects.
Aquaculture: Bengal has achieved remarkable results in both the inland fishery and marine fishery sectors. During financial year (FY) 2017-18, the production of fish was 17.42 lakh metric tonnes (MT), a substantial increase over the 2010-11 figures, the last year of the Left Front rule.
Fish seeds: During 2017-18, production of fish seeds was 2,017.7 crore, again a big increase from 2010-11. Fingerlings, numbering 1,700 lakh, have been distributed in about 1.21 lakh water bodies from 2011-12 to 2017-18. Bengal also caters to a huge 40 per cent of the country’s demand for fish seeds.
Fish feed: Nutritionally balanced floating feed is being supplied free of cost since 2014-15. Till 2017-18, 27,000 metric tonnes (MT) of fish feed has been supplied to about 14,000 fish farmers.
Conservation of indigenous local fish: To conserve local indigenous fish species, steps have been taken to introduce indigenous fish (ie, pabda, saralpunti, deshitangra, mourala, chital, folui, etc.) in bheels, backyard water bodies, etc. Special emphasis has been given for increasing production of deshi magur.
Introduction of new species: Culture of many new species like silver pompano, nona tangra, cobia, chanos (milk fish) and marine crab has been introduced in brackish water during the last seven years. The culture of boroli is now also being attempted in the freshwater bodies of south Bengal.
Moyna Model and its replication:For augmenting the production of fish, a new model called Moyna Model was adopted during FY 2017-18. Its prime objective is the culture of mainly rohu, catla and mrigel at the rate of 12,000 kg (12 MT) per hectare per year in the seven districts of Cooch Behar, Murshidabad, Dakshin Dinajpur, North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Howrah and South 24 Parganas as well as in Kalyani Fish Farm in Baro Sagar Dighi (Nadia district).Model fish farms have been identified covering 90 hectares of water bodies, along with 113 progressive farmers.
Export:Achievements in the export sector have also been quite significant under the Trinamool Congress Government. From 61,709 MT of fish worth Rs 1,734 crore during FY 2011-12, the figures reached 1,04,762 MT worth Rs 4,455.74 crore during FY 2016-17.
Thus, Bengal is marching ahead towards not only self-sufficiency in fish production but substantial contribution towards exports too.
The State Government has created several policies for the development of the fisheries sector. The important ones are given below.
West Bengal Fisheries Investment Policy 2015:For attracting substantial investments in the fisheries sector, the Government has promulgated the West Bengal Fisheries Investment Policy 2015. From FY 2015-17 till now, 30 projects have been initiated at an investment (by both private and Government players) of Rs 339.35 crore. During the Bengal Global Business Summit 2018, 19 memorandums of understanding (MoU) worth Rs 760.3 crore were signed.
Amendment of method of settlement of Government waterbodies:The chapter dedicated to Government water bodies in the West Bengal Land & Land Reforms Manual was amended by the State Government with the intention of infusing better competitiveness and adoption of scientific methods of pisciculture and thereby increasing the production of fish. This step has boosted rural employment generation and optimum use of Government fisheries as a resource by giving priority in the tendering process to functional fishermen’s cooperative societies, fish production groups and self-help groups (SHG).
Training and extension:The number of fishermen who have received training has gone up from 6,170 in 2010-11 to 16,394 in 2017-18. Awareness camps in the form of Krishi Mela, Wetland Day, Fish Farmers’ Day, etc., are being regularly organised.
The Trinamool Congress is against the concept of “one nation, one election”, as proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, since it is impractical and unconstitutional.
Elaborating the reasoning, Party MP and legal counselor Kalyan Banerjee today said that holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls was against the basic structure of the Constitution.
Speaking after a Law Commission meeting in Delhi on the subject, he said “the party strongly opposes the concept floated by the BJP government as it is highly impractical and against the provisions of the Constitution.”
Explaining, he said, “Let us assume that the Centre and all states hold elections simultaneously in 2019. If a coalition government is formed at the Centre and that loses majority, then will elections be re-conducted for all states along with the Centre? It is impractical, not possible and contrary to the Constitution. Democracy and government should be given priority. The financial issue is secondary, first priority is the Constitution and democracy. Constitution has to be upheld.”
Those who wrote the Constitution, including Ambedkar, were pundits, he added. “We know nothing compared to them. They never spoke or suggested anything about the ‘one nation, one election’. They gave us a federal structure. The Central government is not superior compared to the states.”
He said it wasn’t obligatory for the states to give in to whatever the Prime Minister demanded.
“The PM does not fulfil his promises. During his campaign before coming to power in 2014, he had said he would give Rs 15 lakh to all after recovering black money from abroad. All that is false, baseless talk, and so is this proposal.”
The Trinamool Congress and several associations today took part in a huge protest rally at the foot of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Mayo Road. Speakers highlighted the plight of the common man in the face of all essential prices going up because of the incessant rise in petrol and diesel prices. The rally culminated with a speech by All-India Trinamool Youth Congress President Abhishek Banerjee, in which he exhorted those present to continue with the protest by boycotting all transport and walking home from the protest rally.
Highlights of Abhishek Banerjee’s speech:
At the very beginning, I want to announce a special decision. After the culmination of today’s meeting, we are going to walk home and boycott transport to protest the fuel price hike. Those who are willing may please join us in this protest.
The prices of petrol and diesel have been going up every day for the past 16 days. There is no abatement, there is no compensation. This is affecting the prices of almost everything, hurting the common man badly. Very soon, thanks to the Modi government at the Centre, the price of petrol will reach a century. Before that, we must try to bowl the team out, so that the woes and suffering of the people all over the country will cease.
One after the other, the Modi government has been pursuing anti-people policies. But let me tell you, the Trinamool Congress is not a party that will welt to this continuous onslaught. With every new threat, we stand steadfast and know how to counter each of them. They promised “achhe din”, they promised jobs, they promised so many things…but all this is just talk. Very unlike what the Trinamool Congress has been able to do under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. We have delivered what we have promised.
They are trying to dictate what the people should wear, what to eat, where to go, where to not go, whom to speak with, whom to meet – is this the freedom that people should be subjected to? For every juncture of one’s life, one is required to produce Aadhaar card. Is this not curbing one’s freedom and right to privacy? These are policies that the our party is vehemently against. We stand for the welfare of the people. That is our primary concern.
Another protest against the fuel price hike will be held by the Trinamool Youth Congress on May 31 in a similar manner. We will not stop till there is relief for the common man. The Karnataka poll outcome has sounded their farewell bell. We will bid them the remaining goodbye with the vote in 2019.
Shortly before 1 PM, Mamata Banerjee entered the Raj Bhavan. Earlier in the morning, she had visited the Kalighat temple and took blessings of her mother, now late Gayatri Devi. Alighting at the north gate of the Raj Bhavan, she walked in, amidst cheers and slogans from the people waiting outside in thousands.
At 1.05 PM, Mamata Banerjee took oath as the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal. History was created.
Mamata Banerjee takes oath as Bengal CM
Mamata Banerjee and her cabinet took oath in the presence of some 3,000 people that included her party workers and relatives of the victims of violence in Nandigram and Singur. This has perhaps been one of the most crowded swearing-in ceremonies of a chief minister. Along with her, 35 MLAs from Trinamool Congress took oath as ministers of the two-tier ministry. Four of the Trinamool Congress MLAs were sworn in as Ministers of State.
Mamata Banerjee takes oath
Clad in a simple white sari and wearing a tricolor uttariya (long scarf) that has by now become her trade mark, Mamata Banerjee took the oath in Bengali in the name of God, which was administered by Governor M.K. Narayanan.
Some hours earlier, Ms Banerjee had set off from her humble Harish Chatterjee Street house on a journey to change Bengal`s course. Thousands of supporters had already lined the route she would take to Raj Bhavan, holding puja thalis and blowing conch shells. Many were barefoot, as if had come to worship a deity.
In Ms Banerjee’s para, the atmosphere was Puja-like. When she emerged from the door, wearing a crisp off-white saree with a blue zari border, a chant of “Didi…Didi” went up. Her car was ready to take her to Raj Bhavan, but the Iron Lady of Bengal walked into the crowd, much to the dismay of her bodyguards from the Special Security Unit. She touched as many hands as she could, smiled, and folded her hands in humility. Someone passed her a microphone.
At exactly 12.55 PM, the Chief Minister-in-waiting walked into Raj Bhavan. She greeted Governor M K Narayanan and took the sheet of paper she was to read from.
The historic march from Raj Bhavan to Writers’
Trailed by a sea of supporters, Mamata Banerjee walked the 1 km from Raj Bhavan, where she took oath as the first non-Left Chief Minister in 34 years, to Writers’ Building on Friday, May 20, 2011. Euphoric, swelling crowds — nearly 2.5 lakh — thronged the kilometre-long road to Writers’ Buildings. “Democracy has to be with the people,” she said. “I saw the crowds and asked the governor’s permission to walk to Writers’ Buildings.”
Her first day at Writers’ Building
Bureaucrats and security officers escorted Mamata Banerjee up the same flight of stairs along which she had been dragged down in 1993. In the corridor, she suddenly cut her brisk stride and turned towards a balcony. She stood there for a while and waved to the delirious crowd. A bodyguard swiftly crouched before her, hanging on to the low guard rails to protect her from the mad scramble of photojournalists. With a final wave, Ms Banerjee walked off purposefully to the CM`s chamber. It was 4.44pm.
It was from there that Ms Banerjee had been hauled out 17 years ago. Then a firebrand Congress worker, she had been agitating outside former CM Jyoti Basu’s office, insisting he meet a woman who had been allegedly raped by CPM workers. As the police yanked her out, Banerjee swore to set foot in Writers’ Buildings only after the Left was ousted. On the afternoon of 20 May, she kept her vow.
The first Cabinet Meeting
On her first days as chief minister, the people’s leader broke all protocol. She refused a bullet-proof car, declined the privilege of free passage, instructed police to halt her black car at traffic signals, worked in office until 12.35 AM the day she was sworn in.
People greet Mamata Banerjee on 20 May, 2011
After the swearing-in, Mamata Banerjee chaired her first Cabinet meeting at around 5 PM: Singur topped the agenda, then came her first press conference as CM around 8 PM. Then she sat in her office, allotting ministries to her Cabinet colleagues. The CM left office at 12:35 AM on Saturday.
Most of the murders and violence have been carried out by PM’s own party. (BJP state president had said ‘we will show them what violence is’.) Let BJP control their own party first!
They are dismayed because of not being able to win in Karnataka. Without knowing the details, it does not reflect well for the PM to make such comments.
He should know that BJP goons killed 10 Trinamool workers in the Panchayat poll. No BJP worker was killed. On Wednesday repolling in 568 booths. So why is this fake news spreading? Very unfortunate. – Partha Chatterjee Secretary General, Trinamool
