Author: AITC

Chetana Sathi, unique legal awareness mobile vans, flagged off by WB CM

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News updated at 4:15 PM on 15.11.2014
West Bengal Chief Minister inaugurated 20 unique mobile vans named Chetana Sathi for enhancement and extension of awareness in legal matters and for providing legal service free of cost to the common people in each districts of West Bengal.
The inauguration ceremony was held today in front of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Building at 1 PM.
WB CM also unveiled a portrait of Matangini Hazra at the Assembly today.
This unique step by the state Judicial Department will help innumerable people in the state who could not afford legal costs and are thus deprived.
On Facebook, WB CM wrote:
“We have flagged off 20 Mobile Vans named “Chetana Sathi”, yesterday.

Launched for the first time, these vans – 1 each for 19 Districts and 1 for Kolkata, will spread awareness on legal issues and assist needy people in legal matters through cultural programmes and legal aid camps.“
Some pictures of the event are uploaded here for all of you to see:
WB CM flagging off the vans
Chetana Sathi mobile vans

WB Govt to set up fair price shops to sell fish

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee chaired a meeting with the task force on price rise on Thursday. After the meeting it was decided that the State government would set up outlets to sell fishes at much cheaper rates in the markets of Kolkata and adjoining areas.
During the task force meeting, the Chief Minister enquired about the steps that are being taken to meet the state's shortfall for fishes.
Fair price shops for fish
State government has decided to buy stocks from the wholesalers and sell those at cheaper rates from the proposed outlets. The outlets will offer some of the common varieties of fishes that are available in the markets.
The state Fisheries Department will prepare a proposal on the number of outlets and the areas where these are to be set up based on demand. The proposal will be placed at the meeting which will be held on 18 November.
Discussions were also held on running these outlets through Mother Dairy or Agriculture Marketing Department. Earlier, a similar move had been taken to control prices of potatoes and chicken. In fact, outlets were set up in the KMC-run markets for selling vegetables and chicken at cheap rates.
Ban on potato export
It was noted that a section of the potato traders for not selling stocks at government rates during the past 15 days despite the Memorandum of Understanding between traders and government to sell 200 metric tonne of potatoes at Rs 13 per kg in order to get permission for exporting 1100 metric tonne.
State government has thus decided not to allow these traders to export unless they sell an equal quantum of stock that was supposed to be sold during the past 15 days.

WB CM celebrates Children’s day with school students

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West Bengal Chief Minister spent time with school students at West Bengal Assembly today on the occasion of Children’s Day.
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Students from Beltala School and Mitra Institution were present at the Assembly where they presented cultural performances.
Impressed with the performances, WB CM praised the students highly. She commented that children are the future of the Nation and will take India forward.
On her Facebook page, the Chief Minister wrote:
“Today is Children’s Day.
 
I spent some precious moments with school children in my Assembly Office.
 
It was really sweet to hear them sing,recite and share their stories and ambitions.
 
Such opportunity to spend time with children comes rarely.
 
My best wishes to them and to all the children across the country.“
On the eve of Children’s Day, she had posted on her Facebook page:
“Tomorrow is Children’s Day.
 
Children are the future of our Nation.
 
My heartiest greetings and best wishes to all the lovable children of the country.“

WB Govt to open more wholesale cooperative stores

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The State Government has decided to increase the numbers of wholesale cooperative stores across West Bengal so that the consumers are able to purchase their necessities at affordable price.
The Government will also issue Consumers' Credit Cards for the people of the state. State Cooperation Minister Mr Jyotirmoy Kar said in the state has given agricultural loans to farmer to the tune of Rs 2400 crores during 2013-14. He also informed that the weaker cooperatives will be associated with the financially stronger ones in near future.
The minister said a delivery mechanism is on the way of being set up make the farm products easily available to the consumers. Cooperative stores will also be opened in schools to supply educational items.
The State Government will observe All India Consumers' Week from November 14 to 21. On November 18, the best state cooperatives will be awarded at a programme in Nazrul Mancha.
The image is a representative one

Higher education is expanding in Bengal for all: WB CM

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In higher education, the state government is planning to provide 17% reservation to candidates from other backward classes (OBC) in the next six years, Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee posted on her Facebook page on Wednesday.
“In higher education, our target is to provide 17% reservation for OBCs in six years without hitting the general category candidates. We have already achieved 10.6% reservation for OBCs in the very first year of 2014-15,” her Facebook post read.
“Higher education is expanding in Bengal for all. I thought of sharing this with all of you,” the post read.
On June 30, the Chief Minister had announced an investment of Rs 1,000 crore to beef up infrastructure in higher education so that general category students are not affected when reservation for OBCs begin in the state.
“From 2014-15, OBC reservation in higher education will start. We will not touch the general seats but create parallel infrastructure by investing Rs 1,000 crore,” the chief minister had stated at a function to celebrate Hool Divas.

More farmers to be brought under pension scheme in Bengal

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The State Agriculture Department will initiate a survey to bring more farmers under the pension scheme.
Under the scheme, pension amounting to Rs 750 per month is given to small and marginal farmers aged above 60 years. The fund is sanctioned by the state finance department thrice a year, which is disbursed by the agriculture department through the district administration. Presently, 65,000 farmers are enlisted under the scheme.
State Agriculture Minister Mr Purnendu Bose said the survey will be undertaken next month wherein a review will be done of the existing number of beneficiaries as well as on the new farmers that can be included. The scheme has not been reviewed for many years.
The amount paid during past Government's tenure was very nominal. After coming to power, the new government headed by Trinamool Congress increased the amount and now an assessment will be made so as to draw a fresh list of beneficiaries wherein more number of farmers can be included. The entire scheme will be revised so as to ensure that the funds are released on time.
The state finance department has recently sanctioned funds for pension.

WB CM lays the foundation stone for Vivek Tirtha at Rajarhat

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone for Vivek Tirtha, to be set up by the Ramakrishna Mission, in New Town on Tuesday.
Vivek Tirtha will have a centre for value education, a school of languages, a computer institute, a digital library and more. The state government has given the Mission five acres to build Vivek Tirtha. The project will cost Rs 172 crore and will take five years to complete.
Swami Suparnananda, the secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, and Swami Suhitananda, the general secretary of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission were present on the occasion.
Later, the Chief Minister visited the Mother's Park Wax Museum, which she had inaugurated the day before, from the stage of the inaugural programme of KIFF.
She said that the latest tourism attraction of the city will soon boast of wax statues of Mother Teresa and Sister Nivedita.

West Bengal University of Technology named after Maulana Azad

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To commemorate the 125th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad the West Bengal Government has decided to name West Bengal University of Technology, the largest University in West Bengal, as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology.
As a befitting tribute to the legendary educationist and freedom fighter, West Bengal Chief minister Ms Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the new Campus of Aliah University on his Birth anniversary, which is one of the important Universities in the world.
This new facility at New Town, Rajarhat, will offer high quality education and capacity building opportunity including Incubation Centre for research, digital library, GATE/NET/SLET training centre and others to more than 10,000 students.
The Chief Minister said she hoped that all student and teaching community will benefit significantly from this New Campus of Aliah University.

Road show held in Chennai to promote Bengal as investment destination

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From tea tourism and jute parks to a global marketplace at Santiniketan, the West Bengal government is all out to woo investors in view of the Bengal Global Business Summit.

A delegation from West Bengal held a road show in Chennai to promote the forthcoming Bengal Global Business Summit to be held on January 6-8, 2015. 

Focus on tourism

Priority has been given on tea, medical and eco-tourism. The Bengal road show event was organised by WBIDC in association with Confederation of Indian Industry.

West Bengal has received investment proposals worth 1.35 lakh crore in the last three years. Many of them are under implementation while some have already been implemented. 

Investments in various sectors
The investments are spread across sectors such as cement, steel, textiles, food processing, gems and jewellery and textiles. Ready-made infrastructure is now available in 40 industrial parks there. West Bengal is looking to promote tea tourism in and around the hills of Darjeeling.

That the state government has formed a core committee comprising Ministers, government officials and Chambers of Commerce for expediting the process, was also informed in the meet.

Bengal Global Business Summit

Referring to the Bengal Global Business Summit scheduled to be held from January 6-8 next year it was informed that the conference aims at attracting global and domestic investments and would provide deliberations with Government on investments in sectors like healthcare, Information Technology, education, energy.

Road shows promoting the Bengal Global Business Summit are being held at Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad, besides Chennai.

Abhishek Banerjee addresses TMYC rally in Domkal, Murshidabad

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Trinamool Youth Congress President Mr Abhishek Banerjee addressed  ten thousand strong crowd at Domkal in Murishadabad on Tuesday.

He said that the local Congress leadership has turned the district in to ruins and are trying to malign the Trinamool Chairperson.  He said that he will report to the party Chairperson about the condition of the district once he reaches Kolkata.

This is Abhishek Banerjee's first district visit as the president of Trinamool Youth Congress. He is reaching out to the party workers to queer the pitch against the Opposition's attempts at inciting unrest in the State.

The next rally will be held at Hooghly on November 14.