Evil conspiracy foiled my Chicago visit: Mamata Banerjee

Today is the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Bangla Government is commemorating the occasion through week-long programmes.

To celebrate the historic day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present at a function organised by the Ramakrishna Mission at Belur Math.

She said, “I wanted to visit Chicago but unfortunately I could not visit the place where Swamiji delivered his historic address. There was an evil conspiracy behind this. Some people did not want me to go.”

To commemorate the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech at Chicago, Mamata Banerjee was invited by Ramakrishna Mission to attend a function in Chicago. However, the event was cancelled for ‘unavoidable circumstances’ in June.

Highlights of Chief Minister’s speech:

There is a great similarity in the ideals espoused by leaders – spiritual and political – like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath, Netaji, Gandhiji.

Swami Vivekananda had won the heart of the world with his speech at Chicago in 1893.

I wanted to visit Chicago to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Swamiji’s historic address. Sadly, I could not because of evil designs of a section of people, who did not want my presence there.

The forces that foiled my Chicago visit, I hope they read the preaching of Swami Vivekananda.

The Hinduism which Swami Vivekananda preached was not ‘imported’ from outside. It was formed in this soil. It has its roots in Vedas, Vedanta and Upanishads.

Swamiji used to say Hindu dharma is universal. He said, Hinduism not only tolerates other religions, but also recognises them as the truth.

We follow the Hinduism as preached by Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda. We do not believe in ‘imported’ Hinduism.

I’ve read Swamiji’s books and I believe in his ideals. The youth must be taught about Swamiji’s philosophy and thinking.

A true leader must always be ready to make sacrifices for the people. He must be dedicated to the country.

Tolerance is the essence of Hinduism. Hinduism is universal.

In just 39 years of his life, Swami Vivekananda shaped the spine of this country.

I feel ashamed when some people dictate you cannot eat this or you cannot wear that or who can stay here and who cannot.

Bangla is the land of tolerance. Hindu dharma teaches us to love people, not discriminate.

Come forward, lead a new awakening in the country.

We must despise conservatism. I appeal to all to embrace people with love. Humanism is the true religion. Religion is personal, festival is for all.

We must follow the ideals of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

Ramakrishna had said, some people call mother ‘Ma’, some call her ‘Amma’. But we are all humans. That is our biggest identity. We must believe in harmony, not communalism.

Swami Vivekananda resides in our hearts. Hinduism teaches us to embrace everyone as equal.

Swamiji had said, “I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance”. We must all follow this philosophy.

We are giving Rs 1.5 crore to Vivekananda University. I am handing over a grant of Rs 10 crore to Swamiji. My respectful homage to all Maharajas.

Mamata Banerjee announces tax cut on fuel

Even as petrol prices soared to fresh record highs on Tuesday, Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a Re 1 cut in price.

“For the time being, we have decided to slash one rupee for each litre of petrol and diesel. We also demand that the central government consider cutting down the cess on diesel and petrol prices,” the CM told reporters at Nabanna, the state secretariat.

She also attacked the centre saying that the BJP-led central government hiked excise duty nine times, even when the global crude prices were falling. “Our government has never increased the sales tax or cess during all these years,” she said.

“Our government is always pro-people. We will never take any decision that will harm the interests of the people,” she said.

Power Minister assures uninterrupted supply of electricity during Durga Pujo

State Power Minister held a meeting with various stakeholders to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the Durga Pujo. The meeting was held on August 25 and was attended by top officials from various power production and distribution agencies like Coal India, CESC, IPCL and DVC attended the meeting.

“All of them have assured us that there would be no interruption of power supply during the festive days. It is projected that the demand would go up to 8,850 megawatt (MW) on the day of Shashthi which will probably be the highest. The demand will be on the higher side from the day of Tritiya till Ekadashi. All necessary steps will be taken for smooth power distribution,” the minister assured.

He further said that assuming that the requirement may go up further by 700 MW, the department is keeping a reserve of it to meet the demand.

It has been decided that out of 8,850 MW, West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) and West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company (WBSEDCL) will supply 6660 MW, Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) will provide 1,860 MW, India Power Corporation Limited (IPCL) 70 MW and Durgapur Projects Limited (DPL) will ensure 260 MW.

Mamata Banerjee announces compensation for Majerhat Bridge collapse victims

Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today visited the accident site at Majerhat where the flyover collapsed on September 4, 2018.

After inspecting the ongoing rescue and relief work, she addressed the media where she announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of the deceased person. She also announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh for those who were grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for other injured people.

Highlights of the Chief Minister’s speech:

This could have become a even graver tragedy. The casualty figure could have been higher. But the local people saved many lives. One life was lost, two people are missing. Those who were injured are being taken care of at several hospitals.

A life lost cannot be compensated by money. But, we will give a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased and Rs 50,000 will be given to the people who were injured. Rs 1 lakh will be given to those who were grievously injured.

Our full team, along with locals, worked strongly and rescued people who were trapped within hours. The local people played a great role. I would not undermine their contribution with just words of thanks; we will reward them in due course of time.

An emergency meeting will be held tomorrow at 3:30 PM. Bangla is a river-centric place. There are many bridges here. Even, all documents are not in place. We will continue the monitoring work with all available technical experts.

Metro work is going on in the vicinity. Many locals also said that there were vibrations – almost like earthquake – during the construction work. For the last nine years, the work is going on.

I know the people of South 24 Parganas will be inconvenienced. The administration will take requisite steps to make people’s commuting easier.

Committed to the development of Hills: Mamata Banerjee

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is currently visiting the Hills. She reached Darjeeling yesterday. She attended a high level review meeting with Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) officials today.

Addressing the press after the meeting, the CM said that short-term, mid-term, and long-term plans will be taken up for the development of the Hills. A committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, which will present a detailed report in six months.

The other members of the committee would be the MLAs of the Hills, chairmen of municipalities, members of CII and FICCI, DMs and Police Super. The Chief Advisory Council will comprise Binay Tamang, Anil Thapa, Principal Secretary Mr Thade.

Thrust will be given on tourism. The CM informed that the new university in Mungpoo will be named ‘Darjeeling Hill University’. She said, “this university will fulfill the long-standing demand of the people. The people had requested the Centre to set up a university, but they did not do anything. So, we have decided to set up a university.”

“We are setting up a education hub in Kurseong. Presidency University is setting up a campus in the Hills. From cinchona plantation, agriculture, sericulture, tourism, entertainment, IT, software – everything was discussed in today’s meeting. A lot of development will happen in Darjeeling.”

Jatra industry on a path of revival, thanks to Bangla CM

Over the curse of the last few years, the jatra industry of Bangla is well on its way out of intensive care. Thanks to the special initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the glory days are gradually on their way back.

From 2012, the Bangla Government has been making serious efforts to revive the stature of everyone involved with jatra.

An annual Jatra Festival is held now, along with similar festival in various districts, all of which are organised by the State Government. More and more jatra artistes are getting registered with the government.

The annual remuneration of jatra artistes, provided by the government, has also increased. In 2012, it was Rs 6,000, now it is Rs 9,000. The government also provides some more types of grants.

The annual Bina Dasgupta Memorial Award and Shantigopal-O-Tapan Kumar Award were instituted by the Trinamool Congress Government. The former, an award for lifetime excellence in jatra craft, is being given since 2013 while the latter is being given since 2017.

Besides, two legends, Makhanlal Natta and Chapal Bhaduri, were bestowed the Bangabibhushan (in 2014) and the Banga Bhushan (in 2017), respectively – awards instituted by the Trinamool Congress Government.

 

Boost for tourism infrastructure at Sabuj Dweep

The popular tourist spot of Sabuj Dweep is being reinvigorated by the State Tourism Department, in collaboration with the PWD and Irrigation Departments. The department is focussing on creation of infrastructure in the form of modern cottages, a dormitory, picnic spots and an artificial golf turf.

Sabuj Dweep, as the name suggests, is an island, and is located about 60km from Kolkata. It sits at the meeting point of the rivers Behula and Hooghly.

Rs 1 crore is being spent for the entire project. There will be 26 cottages with all modern amenities. The cost of booking one would also be kept affordable. The dormitory-hotel will have 10 beds.

Source: Khabar 365 Din

Bangla Govt observes ‘Sanskriti Dibas’ on the occasion of Rakhi Bandhan

With the inspiration of Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the State Government is celebrating Sanskriti Dibas today, on the occasion of Rakhi Bandhan, to spread the message of communal harmony.

The State Youth Services and Sports Department is hosting the programmes.

In 1905, Rabindranath Tagore had observed Rakhi Bandhan as a mark of unity between Hindus and Muslims when the British decided to divide Bengal.

Sanskriti Dibas is being observed in 342 Blocks, 122 municipalities, six Municipal Corporations and in all the 144 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, all district headquarters and GTA.

It may be mentioned here that Mamata Banerjee has time and again spread the message of unity and harmony at various public meetings. She has urged people to uphold the spirit of Bangla which stands for peace, progress and prosperity.

Be it the court or any election, Trinamool wins everywhere: Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Youth Congress president and Member of Parliament Abhishek Banerjee strongly criticised the BJP Government’s anti-people policies during a speech at Rathtala Maidan in Balarampur in Purulia district.

In connection with the victory in the panchayat election, he said, whether it is at a court of law or in an election, Trinamool Congress will always win.

According to him, whether voting the BJP to win is the same as bringing a calamity oneself to one’s doorstep. In Balarampur, Trinamool had won election after election, but there has never been any violence. Yet, within a week after winning the panchayat election this time, violence spread across the place. There were two unnatural deaths. They had started playing political games with those deaths. Wherever Trinamool won, peace was established, and wherever BJP won, there has been a lack of peace.

We do not do politics with religion, he said. They mislead people by saying stipends are paid to imams using the tax-payers’ money. People should remember that tax-payers’ money is used for developmental projects – Sabooj Sathi, Gitanjali, etc. We believe in the Hindutva of Swami Vivekananda, not in the saffron Hindutva of Yogi.

He said, despite doing so much for the people of Raghunathpur, some people have turned away from us; we need to reach out to them. Support Mamata Banerjee as she is doing a lot of work for all of us. She will never let unrest spread its web in Jangalmahal.

It must also be remembered that many of those who won on BJP tickets in the panchayat election have come back to our fold, some even covertly. Everyone wants to participate in the wave of development that Mamata Banerjee is bringing along. Nobody can stop them, those who want to join her.

 

Source: Aajkaal

’Safe Drive, Save Life’ will become a global model: Mamata Banerjee at ‘Jaya Hey’ event

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today showered praises on the state police force. She said they did not get any holidays and cannot even spend time with their families during festivals because of their commitment to work. She also praised the various community development programmes started by the police.

The Chief Minister also said that ‘Safe Drive, Save Life’ will become a global model one day, and asked each and every one to spread awareness about road safety.

Highlights of the CM’s speech:

  • We started this event called ‘Jaya Hey’ in 2011. I hope this event will reach newer heights of glory in the days to come.
  • The police does not have any holidays. They do not celebrate any festival with their festivals. Their work is to serve the country 24X7 for 365 days. People are part of their larger family.
  • From Dol to Eid – during every festival we need them. From social functions to road accidents, police is required. Whenever any disaster takes place in the Hills, the police goes for rescue and relief operations. We cannot spend a second without their help.
  • The police to their work willingly and with earnestness. Their families are their pillars of support. We cannot do anything for them. So we started this function.
  • We all commit mistakes. When we work for 365 days in a years, small slip-ups are bound to happen. We must remember that. Whether it is scorching heat or raining torrentially, even when we do not want to step out, a traffic police personnel has to perform his duty. They are the guardians of the people.
  • Presence of police assures us of our safety. They have to be alert all the time. Their work is not just providing training or maintaining law and order. They also take part in community development programmes. They organise blood donation camps.
  • Like Kanyashree, Safe Drive Save Life will become a global model one day. It is being implemented in other States as well. What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow. Number of road accidents have reduced a lot ever since this project was launched.We all must raise awareness about road safety. We must all participate to save even one precious life.
  • It is the police’s job to save lives, not take them. My best wishes to all police personnel and their families on this special day. My best wishes to all those who are associated with this ‘Jaya Hey’ programme.