Author: AITC

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Fridayannounced the creation of Alipurduar as a new district by bifurcating theJalpaiguri district in the State Assembly. Alipurduar, which was a sub-divisionof Jalpaiguri, will become the twentieth district of West Bengal.

After bifurcation, Jalpaiguri district toconsist of Jalpaiguri Sadar and Malbazar sub-divisions. Alipurduar district willformally come into existence on June 25. The Chief Minister, during her visitto North Bengal in the first week of June, had said the decision was awaitingjudicial consent.

Speaking in the Assembly, the ChiefMinister said that bifurcation of Jalpaiguri will help in speeding up administrativework.

Bengal`s unique “Kanyashree” project hasreceived international acclaim. It is indeed a matter of great pride andrecognition for the innovative scheme.

Department for International Development,United Kingdom and UNICEF have selected the scheme for presentation at the”Girl Summit” 2014 to be held at London. The State Government has been invitedto make a presentation of the scheme before a global audience.

“We are proud of our girl child. Theirall-round development and well being is of prime importance to us. We are goingto celebrate `Kanyashree Day` on 14th August throughout the state. Bengal indeedcontinues to show the way” wrote Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee on herFacebook page.

West Bengal government`s Kanyashree scheme, a programme initiatedto prevent girls from being married off at a young age by encouragingeducation, has benefited almost 9 lakh girls since its launch in October 2013.The state government has allocated Rs 287 crore for the programme for2013-2014.

According to the Kanyashree scheme, unmarried girls between the age of 13 and 18years, studying in Class VIII and XII in an institute affiliated to the stategovernment, are eligible for Rs 500 annual stipend. It had been found that mostgirl students drop-out of school while in Class VIII. The one-time Rs 25,000grant for unmarried girls between 18 and 19 years is also offered to enablethem to pursue higher education or a vocational or sports course in a state-governmentaffiliated institute.

Indian railway today increased passengerfare was by 14.2 per cent in all classes while freight charge was hiked by 6.5per cent with effect from today.

Statement issued by Derek O`Brien, National Spokesperson

English:

“Is this a Super Rail Budget before RailBudget? Not bothering about the Parliament. The common man already burdenedwill be over burdened. Just before elections there was a Rail fare hike. Nowanother passenger/freight fare hike. Common man will suffer more. This decision is anti-people. The prices of essential commodities will now shoot up. Before they came to power, they said acche din aane wale hain. But now it seems roney wale din aa gaye hain.“

Bengali:

“রেল বাজেটের আগেই ভাড়া বৃদ্ধি – এটা কি সুপার রেল বাজেট? সংসদকে সম্পূর্ণ উপেক্ষা করেই! সাধারণ মানুষের ঘাড়ে আরও বোঝা চাপিয়ে দেওয়া হল। লোকসভা নির্বাচনেরআগে একবার ভাড়া বৃদ্ধি হয়েছে। এখন আবার হল। সেই একই কায়দায়। রেল ভাড়া বৃদ্ধির কারণেসাধারণ মানুষ বিপদে পড়বে। রেল ভাড়া বৃদ্ধির সিদ্ধান্ত জনগণ বিরোধী। এর ফলে নিত্যপ্রয়োজনীয় জিনিসপত্রের দাম বাড়বে। নির্বাচনের আগে ওরা বলেছিল যে সুদিন আসতে চলেছে। এখন মনে হচ্ছে কান্নার দিন এসে গেছে।“

The Trinamool Congress led West Bengal governmenthas set up an all-party committee to look into bus operators` demand for a farehike.

The eight-member committee will have arepresentative each of the CPI(M), Congress and the SUCI. The other fivemembers will be from Trinamool, including Transport Minister Madan Mitra.

The Minister conveyed the decision to setup the committee to representatives of six bus operator unions who met him onWednesday.

“We understand private bus operators arefacing problems. The committee will look into the demand for a fare revisionand come up with a report within a month,” Mr Mitra said.

The date and venue of the first meeting ofthe committee is being decided.

“This is the first time that such anall-party committee has been set up. We have asked the bus operators to conveytheir views to the committee. The members will study the fare structures inother states before drawing up the report,” the Minister said.

This is not the first time the governmenthas set up a committee to look into the ailments of the transport sector.

In 2012, a group of ministers led by ParthaChatterjee had been formed to look into the issues plaguing the sector. Thegroup, whose members included Finance Minister Amit Mitra and Urban DevelopmentMinister Firhad Hakim, met on a few occasions.

In the same year, a 15-member committeecomprising transport department officials, police officers and an autorickshawunion representative had been set up to suggest how to rein in unrulythree-wheeler operators.

In January, the government had set up atwo-member committee to look into the problems related to the auto service.

A 5-member delegation of Trinamool MPsvisited BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh to meet an alleged gang-rape victim.

Trinamool MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, KakoliGhosh Dastidar, Uma Soren, Arpita Ghosh and Nadimul Haque met the woman at ahospital in Khandwa district.

“We are here on a fact-finding mission onthe instructions of our leader Mamata Banerjee. We will report to her,” Mr Roysaid. The three Mps Ghosh Dastidar, Uma Soren, Arpita Ghosh met the woman inthe surgical ward of the hospital while Mr Roy and Mr Haque stood outside. “We are here because of humanitarianconcerns,” Mr Roy said.

The MPs also spoke to the people of theBhilai Khera village and met her parents living in an adjoining village. “Wealso urged the district police to take proper steps for her rehabilitation andensure confidence among the local people,” Mr Roy said.

The State Power Minister Manish Gupta toldthe state Assembly that electricity has been provided in about 88 per cent ofthe rural household of Below Poverty Line (BPL) category during the 11th Planperiod.

He said that in the rural sector there are48 lakh BPL households and 79 lakh Above Poverty Line (APL) households. MrGupta said by March 2015, there would be 95 per cent coverage of ruralelectrification.

“During the Left Front regime, hardly therewas any investment on infrastructure development. But we have decided todevelop infrastructure,” the Power Minister said.

The Minister said talks are on with AndrewYule & Company Limited so that they can maintain a steady supply oftransformers. He also said that due to excessive heat about three lakh airconditioners were sold from 2012 to 2014.

In an effort to make Rajarhat New Town evenmore business-friendly, the 10.5 km Rajarhat Main Arterial Road connecting theairport to Sector V will soon become a Wi-Fi enabled stretch where one would beable to connect to the net while travelling on a car or a bus. The stretch hasalready been declared as a green corridor.

According to a HIDCO official, this isprobably for the first time in the country that a road will be connected with aWi-Fi network. 

“The Eco Park and a few others places will also become hotspotswhere the Wi-Fi connectivity will be available. The first 30 minutes of availingconnectivity will be free,” said HIDCO chairman-cum-managing director DebashisSen.

In the second phase, the connectivity willbe further stretched to Chingrighata on EM Bypass, which is about another 6 km away.

Officials said the unique plan was beingmulled for some time as New Town was slowly turning into an IT and businesshub. The road is often used by several VIPs and dignitaries on their way to andfrom the airport. It is being thought that having Wi-Fi connectivity on thisstretch will bring immense business benefits as businessmen and IT officialsuse this stretch the most.

The road had been declared as a greencorridor some days back. No billboards or hoardings are allowed to come up onthe stretch. The HIDCO authorities have been installing LED streetlights onboth sides of the stretch along with planting trees and saplings along roaddividers.

The article was first published in The Times of India, 18.06.2014

West Bengal Labour Minister Mr. PurnenduBose chaired a meeting with the INTTUC representatives of 52 jute mills, theState Labour Commissioner and the Secretary of the State Labour department. TheMinister said that the progress of industrialisation in the state will continueunabated, despite any untoward incident.

The Labour Minister condemned the incidentof violence that took place at the Northbrook jute mill. He said that whentripartite meetings are regularly being held, such incidents will not betolerated. He asked the labourers to maintain peace and proper workingenvironment in their work places. He said that there are incidents where eitherthe management or the labour unions have broken the law and both of the partiesare responsible to carry out their duties in a proper manner.

The Labour Minister stated that theGovernment is working out means for enabling the reopening of the Northbrook jutemill at the earliest. He spoke with the District Magistrate and therepresentatives of the local Police force to take steps so as to incidents likethe one at Northbrook may be averted in the future.

The Gem & Jewellery Park coming up atAnkurhati, Howrah, has generated huge interest among investors. West Bengal IndustryMinister Dr Amit Mitra said that around 1.25 lakh square feet of the project,spread across 2.50 lakh square feet, has already been sold to 32 companies. Theproject is being spearheaded by the West Bengal Industrial DevelopmentCorporation.

“The government of Bengal has decided todevelop under the WBIDC a Gem & Jewellery Park at Ankurhati. This includestwo standard design factory buildings (G+5). Around 1.25 lakh sq ft has alreadybeen taken by 32 companies who paid in advance,” Dr. Mitra said

“This has been allotted through acompetitive transparent bidding. We have decided to build a second building of1.25 sq ft, which has already been committed. Approximately, it will be a Rs55-crore project,” he added.

Dr Mitra was speaking at the inaugurationof the West Bengal skill advisory committee of the Gem & Jewellery SkillCouncil of India (GJSCI). The committee aims to bring in a change in themanufacturing and upgradation of skill levels of artisans in Bengal through amulti-pronged approach.

The park at Ankurhati is likely to housethe Dakshagram Centre – a concept propagated by the GJSCI to ensure bestpractices through proper training of the artisans. Dr Mitra said his governmentwas ready to deal with the rise in cost that the project was expected to face. Thesize of the project may, therefore, hover at Rs 60-70 crore. The park willinclude a blend of domestic and export-oriented units.