Tag: Bengal

KMC adopts new policy of tree plantation

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Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has adopted a new policy on tree plantation. As part of the policy, trees which do not get uprooted easily during storms would be planted across Kolkata, which include fruit-bearing trees, flower-bearing trees as well as woody trees.

Trees having this specific quality are already present in many places. With the help of this new policy, though, many more such trees would be planted.

According to the new policy, the civic body’s Parks Department will plant arjun, chhatim, bakul, jarul and mahogany, which need comparatively less space too, as well as fruit-bearing trees like mango, jamun, guava, litchi and jamrul, which also help counter pollution.

As part of new tree plantation policy too, in order to conserve Kolkata’s green cover, KMC will be distributing saplings to the citizens for free. The saplings will be sourced from the many nurseries that KMC runs. Any citizen who has enough land in and around the house can approach their concerned borough office and collect saplings.

Source: The Times of India

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Fairground of international-standard coming up at Milan Mela complex

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Last year, the Bengal Government had decided to construct a new permanent fairground at Milan Mela. Now the architect has been decided, and what would come up is a trade fair ground of international standards. The new Milan Mela will come up in two years.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress Government’s concerted efforts over the last few years are gradually turning Kolkata into a favoured destination for many international trade fairs, conferences and tournaments.

The redesigned fairground will have two massive exhibition halls that will together offer 200,000 sq ft space. They will be separated by an area equipped with an auditorium, will be a global cuisine hub.

Covering the walls of the exhibition halls will be an exo-skin architectural membrane on which will be displayed audio-visual content, including films, 3D projections and illumination graphics. This will be a first in the country.

The exhibition halls will be designed in such a way that the crowd would get evenly distributed, without giving a choking feeling. The design has been prepared keeping in mind that at any given point, the maximum gathering could go up to 2.5 lakh.

A road cutting across the fairground will drop off visitors inside and then end at a multi-level parking space.

The centrepiece of the project, however, will be the Biswa Bangla tower. It will be an illuminated smart clock tower capped with a dome. There will be a trade museum underneath it that will tell the history of Bengal’s trade.

Source: The Times of India

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Bengal Govt setting up cluster for fireworks manufacturing industry

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With a view to developing the manufacturing of fireworks as a major industry and control illegal manufacturing, the Bengal Government has decided set up fireworks manufacturing clusters across the State.

There are many villages where manufacturing firecrackers is the source of livelihood for many. The new policy would put a proper structure in place.

Manufacturing of fireworks is a recognised small-scale industry in the State, but it needs more organisation. Hence the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise and Textiles Department is coming up with the policy of setting up manufacturing clusters.

The Government has roped in Fireworks Research and Development Centre (FRDC) to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) to set up a cluster of fireworks factories on 50 acres at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas.

Based on the DPR, manufacturing clusters will be set up in the districts of Hooghly, Howrah, Murshidabad and Purba Bardhaman.

The policy would ensure a single-window opportunity for acquiring license and environment certificate by interested manufacturers.

It would ensure that the families involved in the manufacturing of firecrackers get to work in a better, safe and hazard-free environment. The clusters will have facilities for testing of materials to ensure quality control. The processes for manufacturing would be standardised.

There will be separate entry and exit points at each of the units in a cluster and those will have proper working conditions like adequate light, air, safety measures, etc. Moreover, warehouses for storing highly inflammable materials will be properly planned.

Source: Sangbad Pratidin

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Bengal Govt to provide year-round training to farmers

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The State Agriculture Department has initiated steps to ensure round-the-year training programmes for farmers at Mati Tirtha, located in the district of Purba Bardhaman.

The requirement for year-round training was felt to ensure that farmers keep getting regular updates on agricultural activities, including on the latest techniques, and are able to implement the same.

A team of senior officials from the Agriculture Department had visited Mati Tirtha on June 13 and prepared a detailed report on the sort of infrastructure required for round-the-year training of farmers.

Mati Tirtha is the permanent venue of Mati Utsav that takes place in January every year where, among other activities, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee felicitates successful farmers from different parts of the State.

Source: Millennium Post

KMC pilot project to put overhead wires underground on Park Street

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Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will undertake a pilot project on Park Street with the idea of putting all overhead wires underground. Wires hanging from lampposts, trees and every vantage point are an eyesore in the city’s skyline, and hence the decision.

It will be done in conjunction with the State Urban Development & Municipal Affairs Department and a number of agencies like cable service MSOs (multiple system operators), CESC, BSNL and similar stakeholders who have overground wires.

After the pilot is completed, similar projects, with whatever modifications required, will be undertaken all across Kolkata.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing MSOs and cable operators during a meeting last April, had asked them to clean up the mess of wires and had urged all stakeholders, including the KMC, Public Works Department (PWD) and utility services, to chalk out a suitable plan.

 

Source: Millennium Post

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Bengal Govt to upgrade sub-health centres, recruit more than 5,000 nurses

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The Bengal Government has decided to substantially upgrade the 10,357 sub-health centres in the state. Each sub-health centre will be turned into a ‘Health and Wellness Centre’, where staff nurses will be on duty along with doctors. Hence, 5,250 staff nurses will be recruited for the project.

As many as 12 health facilities, including ENT, dental, eye, ante- and post-natal treatments, and treatment of communicable diseases will become possible once the sub-health centres get upgraded.

It may be mentioned that under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Health Minister, the State-run hospitals have improved immensely; the infrastructure has been developed manifold to ensure better service to the people.

Source: Millennium Post

Bengal Govt takes initiative to supply natural gas through pipelines

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The Bengal Government has taken an initiative to supply natural gas through pipelines, through a joint venture between Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation (GCGSC) and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).

The joint venture between GCGSC, which is a State Government-owned company and GAIL will be in the ratio of 74 is to 26. The total investment for the project will be Rs 6,000 crore, with an initial investment of Rs 144 crore.

The project will ensure supply of natural gas through pipelines to households, hospitals and small industries in the area under Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). The whole of the area under KMDA would be covered in phases, within a period of two to five years

Through this project, there will be easy supply of gas and that too at the right price. It will also help in reducing pollution, as small industries where coal is still used as fuel, will be using natural gas.

Source: Millennium Post

Bengal Govt invites applications for second phase of Bonyopran Sathi scheme

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The Bengal Government is ready with the second phase of its highly successful scheme, Bonyo22pran Sathi (Honorary Wildlife Volunteer Service Programme), which offers wildlife enthusiasts the opportunity to venture into core areas of forests, especially in north Bengal and the Sundarbans, to get real-life experiences on how to deal with animals and in the process, learn about them through hands-on experience.

Interested participants for this study-cum-adventure programme of the Forest Department have to submit a form, the last date for which is June 30.

Those who will go into the forests will go as conservationists and not merely as tourists, said the Forest Minister while announcing the dates and other details. He said that this is one-of-a-kind scheme in the country.

After the completion of the programme, the enthusiasts will be expected to spread the message of wildlife protection and environmental conservation in their localities.

As part of the programme, visitors will stay with forest guards in camps, which will also give them the experience of keeping guard in a forest. Before a tour starts, the visitors will be provided a day-long training on how to behave if they come close to animals like tigers, elephants, leopards, deer, etc. during their adventure. A team will be accompanied by two Forest Department officials, who will be experts in handling wild animals.

The first phase drew applications from a lot of enthusiasts, and so has the second phase. Applications have already come from a diverse range of people like school teachers, professors, retired Army personnel and businessmen.

There are six national parks and 15 wildlife sanctuaries in Bengal.

Click here to download the form and details about the scheme.

Source: Aajkaal

Bengal Govt to introduce integrated project monitoring system

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To ensure better execution of projects, the State Government is planning to introduce an integrated online platform for monitoring projects undertaken by its departments.

This was decided at a recent meeting of senior officials of some of the crucial departments of the State Government, including Finance Department, Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department and Public Works Department. The preliminary tasks for introducing the integrated project monitoring system have already been carried out.

It may be mentioned that, after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011, Bengal has witnessed a lot of developmental work. Moreover, in a bid to ensure that all projects are implemented properly and in a time-bound manner, the Chief Minister visits every district to hold administrative review meetings with concerned officials.

The Trinamool Congress Government has also introduced the Integrated Finance Management System (IFMS) and it has simplified the system of managing all finance-related issues.

Source: Millennium Post

Bengal Govt taking initiatives to tap export potential of orchids

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The State Horticulture Department is gearing up to tap the immense demand for orchids in the international market.

According to a senior official of the department, the State Government has recognised the huge potential in the export of orchids and is taking various steps, including talking to all the stakeholders in the trade, to ensure the potential is properly tapped.

Orchids are mostly grown in colder regions. Darjeeling grows Cymbidium orchids in abundance, which is of high demand in countries like USA, UK, Australia and Japan. Cultivation of orchids is a low-cost activity and the flowers can be grown without a greenhouse. However, after harvesting, the flowers need to be shipped out quite fast. Hence, the department is talking with the Airports Authority of India to upgrade Bagdogra Airport so that it can handle more international flights. With the upgrading, the market for South-east Asia can also be tapped for export.

Another issue being looked into is packaging. Exports require packaging of international standards that ensures good shelf life. Hence, the department will hold talks with Indian Institute of Packaging for having a packaging protocol for flower exports.

Another issue coming in the way of higher exports is the fact that the Cymbidium orchid has a long gestation period of four to six years. To resolve this, the department is working out on how to use advanced technology for the cultivation of these flowers and extend all required help to the cultivators.

Another major challenge is to source good orchid varieties to keep pace with emerging trends, since demand in the orchid industry is determined by changing tastes. Hence, plans are being made to cultivate more species of orchids as per demand.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while attending the Hills Business Summit in Darjeeling last March, had asked the CII to prepare a detailed project report on the cultivation of cinchona, orchids and medicinal plants, all of which have huge markets, both internationally and in the country. The initiatives taken by the Horticulture Department in realising the huge export potential of orchids are in pursuance of that.

Source: Millennium Post