Tag: Bengal CM

Necessary to have wider debate and discussion: Mamata Banerjee on lateral entries into senior govt positions

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Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today reacted to the recent media reports suggesting that the Government of India has invited applications for appointment to the post of Joint Secretary of 10 important ministries of Government of India through lateral entries.

She said that in her view, there is no objection if talented persons join the Central Government to improve its professional competence and efficiency. But she had a few concerns about the issue involving various implications.

“The officers from All India Services/Central Services presently hold positions of Joint Secretary and equivalent levels in the Government of India. These officers are inducted in government services through transparent recruitment processes by Constitutional bodies like the UPSC. The officers are expected to be politically neutral while discharging their duties. Any shift from such standard will not be good for the nation,” she wrote on her Facebook page.

Presently, the officers of All India/Central Services have been working in the government with sincerity and accountability and maintaining secrecy, where the paramount interest of the nation remains supreme. In view of it, I feel that any deviation from the system, particularly by inducting professionals from non-governmental sector, notwithstanding their talent may dilute the sensitivity attached to the functioning of the government,” the Chief Minister wrote.

Mamata Banerjee said that it is necessary to have wider debate and discussion with different stake-holders, including representatives of the All India Services/Central Services, before implementing the proposed induction of lateral entries into senior positions of the government.

Centre sitting on Rs 10,000 crore aid to Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

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Bengal Chief Minister has once again raised the issue of Central deprivation alleging the BJP Government has held back its rightful Rs 10,000 crore earmarked for development.

In the recent weeks the Chief Minister has shot off at least three letters to the Centre demanding clearance of her State’s dues amounting to about Rs 9,959 crore under 16 heads.

According to officials in the State Finance Department the Centre is yet to clear Rs 609 crore — due on account of good performance. Besides, the State has also demanded its due of Rs 3830 crore on account of Sarva Shiksha Aviyan and Rs 790 crore under Mid Day Meal scheme.

Besides there are a number of other schemes under which the State has been deprived of its lawful grants from the Centre, sources said. Accordingly huge amount of money is due under Urban Renewal Mission, National Urban Employment Scheme, Swacchh Bharat and other programmes.

“This is a blatant denial of State rights. The people of Bengal are being deprived. We are not begging for funds. We are only demanding our dues. The Centre will have to keep in mind that the people of the States pay taxes and out of those taxes the States get their dues for development of their people,” the Chief Minister has said wondering whether Bengal is being deprived because of its political preference.

 

Bengal set to boost raw silk production

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With Bengal witnessing a nine-fold increase in the production of bivoltine silk in the past seven years, the State Government is targeting to extend the cultivation of raw silk on a new area of 1,620 acres during the 2018-19 fiscal.

During the 2017-18 fiscal, the area of plantation was increased by 1,733 acres and it resulted in an yield of 2,540 metric tonne (MT) of mulberry raw silk, 34.50 MT of tasar raw silk, 2.60 MT of eri raw silk and 185 kg of muga raw silk. Infrastructure, including 898 rearing houses, 147 vermi-compost sheds and 10 cocoon storage buildings were developed to extend support to silk farmers during 2017-18.

The State Agriculture Minister has said that the production targets for raw silk for 2018-19 are 2,575 MT mulberry, 46 MT tasar, 6 MT eri and 400 kg muga.

Of the 1,620 acres of land that will be brought under sericulture during 2018-19, 1,000 acres will be for mulberry, 400 acres for tasar, 70 acres for muga and 150 acres for eri.

Large areas of land in the districts including Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura and Birbhum (together comprising the region of Jangalmahal) were brought under tasar cultivation during 2017-18, from which 18,040 people benefitted.

It may be mentioned that the production of bivoltine silk was 7.16 MT during 2012-13, which has gone up to 36 MT during 2017-18.

The State Agriculture Department will be organising a symposium, in which officials of agriculture, horticulture and sericulture sections will be present. Representative of silk-farmers will also be attending the symposium.

Source: Millennium Post

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Bengal leads among States in decrease in crimes related to child labour

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Bengal is leading the country in eradicating the instances of child labour. Over the last three years, only in Bengal has there been an appreciative decrease in crimes related to child labour. This fact came out in a report presented by the concerned Union Minister in Parliament on March 27.

The State-wise list of the number of crimes concerned with child labour from 2014 to 2016 was presented, according to which, during this period, the law has been moved against only 42 people in Bengal.

Significantly too, during the above-mentioned period, there have been 1,131 operations in the State to rescue children illegally engaged in labour.

 

Bengal Govt has enabled threefold rise in the average annual income of farmers

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The Bengal Government has set an example for other States by increasing the income level of farmers three times. The average annual income of farmers in the State has gone up threefold during financial year 2017-18 than what it was seven years ago.

According to the Agriculture Department, the average annual income of a farmer now stands at Rs 2.91 lakh during 2017-18 while it stood at Rs 2,39,123 during 2016-17. During 2010-11, the average annual income of a farmer was Rs 91,000.

This has become possible due to various social schemes introduced by the Trinamool Congress Government to improve the socio-economic conditions of the farmers.

The overall production of each farmer has shot up as their expenses have slashed due to the availability of certified seeds at much cheaper rates. The agricultural growth rate has gone up which in turn is expected to drive up the State’s economic growth rate.

Distribution of paddy seeds at subsidised rates by the Agriculture Department and giving farmers platforms to sell their produce directly at various State Government-managed outlets and Krishak Bazars at proper costs are among those contributing to the rise of income for farmers.

The State Agriculture Department has already ironed out the middle-man system that had become a practice during the regime of the erstwhile Left Front government.

The State Government has been providing Rs 400 crore subsidy to the farmers. The Agriculture Department provides certified seeds to farmers at 50 per cent subsidised rates or Rs 20 is given to them against per kg of paddy seeds, whichever is less. One farmer can receive up to 100 kg seeds at a time. The amount is credited to the bank accounts of individual farmers.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has laid enormous emphasis on the well-being of farmers and on the increase of productivity through the introduction of a host of new schemes.

Source: Millennium Post

Pursue a career of your choice, undaunted by any adversity: Bengal CM to board toppers

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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today felicitated the toppers of Madhyamik, Higher Secondary, ICSE, CBSE, ISC and WBJEE examinations. The felicitation programme was held at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

It was Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had initiated the programme to felicitate the toppers in the state from all boards.

In her speech, she congratulated all the students for securing a rank in the merit list, in this age of competition. She also urged them to stick to the values imparted by their teachers and parents, and pursue a career of their choice, undaunted by any adversity.

Highlights of the Chief Minister’s speech:

  • My best wishes to all the students who aced the various board exams and secured top ranks. I want to mention the toppers of Madhyamik exam, because it is the first board exam of their life, an experience which comes once in a lifetime.
  • In this age of tough competition to secure a rank in the merit list is no mean feat. Times are changing, the infrastructure has improved. Teaching methods have undergone a change. There are more opportunities.
  • There are many stories of struggle, we must salute those. There may be students whose parents may not be well-to-do, and have to make ends meet to buy them books. We must recognise their struggle too.
  • Our teachers play a major role in shaping our future. The students are their pride. The talent that teachers create requires a lot of dedication, determination and devotion; this is unmatched.
  • There was a time when teachers used to think twice before giving full marks. But our students have to compete with the world now. So, I had requested our Education Minister to ensure our students also get marks at par with ICSE or CBSE. They have done really well.
  • I want you to use your talent and pursue a stream which you like. I would urge you not to neglect the teachers who taught you, or your parents, or even the land where you received your education. This is a learning for your life.
  • Our parents imparted values in us. They taught us Rabindranath-Nazrul, the ideals of Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. They instilled a sense of patriotism and harmony in us. This helped in shaping our conscience.
  • We have learnt not to bow our heads before any hindrance. We should not be afraid of any turbulence. We have to keep marching ahead.
  • Talent from Bengal is famous all over the world. We all have our roots in the villages.
  • Your merit should be your pride. Your skill will help shape your future. Some of you will become doctors, some engineers, some may become professors, some may choose research.
  • We have set up 22 new universities, 6 more are coming up. We have set up 47 new colleges and 7 new medical colleges. 13 new medical colleges are in the pipeline. Number of medical seats has gone up, and we have to keep increasing the number of seats.
  • Granthan, who secured the first rank in Higher Secondary exam, has proved even a student of humanities can secure full marks. No matter which stream you choose, you all must excel in your respective fields.

7 years: Chronicles of Bengal’s progress

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In May 2011, the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, established efficient governance in West Bengal, with the Government of Maa, Mati, Manush. On May 27, 2016, through a historic verdict, the government was sworn in for the second time in a row.

On the seventh anniversary of that historic day, the State Government came out with a book enlisting all the work done by various departments in the last seven years. The book was released by the Chief Minister during the administrative review meeting at Howrah on June 7, 2018.

In the last seven years, Bengal has witnessed phenomenal growth in development and prosperity. Nearly 90% of the State’s population has benefited from various public services. 90% of the State’s population is provided with food grains at a subsidised rate, under the ‘Khadya Sathi’ scheme. Apart from this, the Government has also taken initiatives such as ‘Sabujshree’, ‘Kanyashree’, ‘Sikshashree’, ‘Sabuj Sathi’, ‘Sishu Sathi’, ‘Yuvashree’, ‘Rupashree’, ‘Manabik’, and ‘Samabyathi’, to name just a few.

These schemes have made available a plethora of services to all citizens, including members of scheduled castes, tribes, minorities, and OBCs.

Click here to read the book.

Our Govt’s professional coaching for SC/ST students has yielded great results: Mamata Banerjee

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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, through a Facebook post today, congratulated the scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) students who achieved ranks in the State Joint Entrance and NEET examinations after getting coached at specialised centres set up by the State Government.

She wrote, “The unique initiative of our government to provide high-end professional coaching to SC/ST students for engineering and medical entrance examinations have yielded great results.”

According to her post, out of the 939 students who took coaching this year, 348 SC and 76 ST students achieved ranks in the Joint Entrance Examination for engineering courses, including 95 in the top 1,000, while 125 qualified for medical courses through NEET.

“My heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all of them,” she wrote.

The Chief Minister further said that the Government is already taking steps to expand the specialised coaching arrangement so that more and more students can benefit from it and get placed in professional courses.

Click here to read Mamata Banerjee’s Facebook post

Capacity building under Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) for both officers and inmates

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Over the last financial year (2017-18), the State Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department has done a lot of work in the area of capacity building regarding the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS). The ICPS has played a key role in strengthening the child protection regime in Bengal.

 

Capacity building of child care officers:

  • 217 Child Welfare Police Officers trained on TrackChild portal in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC)
  • Two sensitisation programmes organised for district judges and principal magistrates on Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 (JJ Act) in collaboration with West Bengal Judicial Academy
  • Training of ICPS functionaries on the implementation of JJ Act, covering all the districts
  • Workshop on rehabilitation of children with special need (CWSN) for district social welfare officers (DSWO), Home superintendents and district child protection officers (DCPO) from November 16 to 17
  • Outreach programmes on alternative care and child protection committees (CPC) in Sandeshkhali-1 and Sandeshkhali-2 blocks in the district of North 24 Parganas by officers of State Child Protection Society (SCPS), State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) and District Child Protection Unit (DCPU)
  • Phase-wise training on minimum standards of care for superintendents, probation officers, child welfare officers, House mothers and House fathers of Child Care Institutions (CCI) across Bengal

 

Capacity building plan for FY 2018-19:

  • Operationalising block-level child protection committees (BLCPC), ward-level child protection committees (WLCPC) and village-level child protection committees (VLCPC) through sustained capacity building
  • Creating information, education and communication (IEC) material on trafficking, adoption, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), etc.
  • Developing advocacy strategy on child protection issues
  • Rehabilitating and mainstreaming children through capacity building
  • Developing State guidelines on POCSO Act
  • Implementing State Plan of Action to combat human trafficking
  • Capacity building of ICPS functionaries

 

The State Government is also providing vocational training of various types to the inmates of the various Homes

  • Vocational training for inmates of Juvenile Justice Homes (JJ Homes) in painting of car bodies in collaboration an industrial training institute (ITI) and Maruti Udyog
  • Training inmates of CCIs in retail management (leading to placement), hair cutting, tailoring, etc.
  • Training female inmates of SMM Home in Liluah in weaving and designing in collaboration with internationally renowned fashion designer, Bibi Russel
  • Training female inmates of SMM Home in the peeling, scaling and packaging of fish, and cutting of fish fillets, on stipend basis

 

Thus, through a comprehensive exercise of training child care officers as well as Home inmates, the State Government is bringing about all-round improvement in the child care scenario in Bengal.

 

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World’s 2nd largest coal mine allocated to Bengal, CM elated

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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today announced through a Facebook post that Deocha-Pachami and Harinsingha-Dewanganj coal blocks in Birbhum district have been allocated to Bengal.

This is a major gain for the State as the two coal blocks combined form the world’s second largest, and India’s largest coal mine, having an estimated reserve of 2,102 million tonnes.

Mamata Banerjee shared her happiness with all regarding the allocation of these major coal mines to the State. She said, “I am very happy to share with all of you that after a long wait of 3 years, West Bengal has got the allocation of the Deocha Pachami Harinsingha Dewanganj Coal Mines in Birbhum district”.

In her post, she further said that the mining project has huge potential for generating nearly a lakh of direct and indirect employment opportunities in Birbhum and neighbouring districts. The project will also involve investments worth Rs 12,000 crore.

All these aspects of the project, the Chief Minister said, will enable “huge socio-economic development of Birbhum, the neighbouring districts and the entire State”.

Necessary administrative infrastructure has already been set up to start the project immediately.

To read the Facebook post, click here