Tag: Development

BJP is a party of worthless, incompetent people: Mamata Banerjee

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Mamata Banerjee today spoke at a party workers’ meeting in Asansol.

Highlights of her speech:

  • They have removed 80,000 jobs from the Railways. Where will you get jobs?
  • The BJP is just giving the people lollipops before the 2024 elections. It is a party of worthless, incompetent people.
  • The BJP is saying that over four years, the Union government will recruit just 20,000 people and later another 40,000 people. So won’t even 1,000 people from my state get jobs?
  • If anyone speaks up against the BJP, the CBI and ED are thrust on them.
  • Why are BJP leaders not arrested even after making dirty comments?
  • Why was Mohammed Zubair arrested? What did he do?
  • You have not only won in Asansol. You have completely shut up the BJP.

 

Invest in Bangla, where there’s scope for the future: Didi’s call at Bengal Business Conclave, Digha

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Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today inaugurated the Bengal Business Conclave at Digha. Held at the newly inaugurated Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, the two-day programme is being attended by industry representatives and diplomats from around 20 nations.

Here are the excerpts from her inaugural speech:

In Kolkata, there is a big convention centre. I am proud to say that it is one of the biggest convention centres in the world. It is a destination for industry leaders and everything related. Digha is not too far away from Kolkata. Road connectivity is there for tourism and industry. What we have started today will work for tomorrow. Adjacent to this convention centre is a hotel with 70 rooms. Corporate houses, industrial houses can organise seminars or their office meetings here.

Digha is a beautiful place. You will appreciate that within these 8 years, Digha has been developed like anything. I am proud to say that a promenade like Marine Drive is coming up. The road is already complete. Two bridges are being made. It is adjacent to Puri. Puri has a famous temple. A temple is also coming up here, the Mashibari Temple. A port is coming up at Tajpur.

Representatives of 20 countries are present here. They are from the UK, Poland, Australia, the Netherlands, Argentina, South Korea, Singapore, UAE, USA, Australia, France, Russia, Italy, Thailand, Germany, Japan, China, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Also present here are representatives of the United Nations and a team from the World Bank. The Asian Development Bank also gave us Rs 150 million for a project. We want to congratulate them. Industry depends on the economic situation. Economic situation is something very important nowadays.

After 34 years of Left misrule, our State has overcome the situation. Now if we see the GDP growth, in the second quarter of 2016-17, it was 8.87 %. But in the second quarter of 2019-20, the rate dipped to 4.55%. Industry growth has also gone down. In 2015-16 it was 9.58 %, which in 2018-19 dipped to 6.86%. Manufacturing growth rate also went down from 13.06% in 2015-16 to 6.94% 2018-19. Industrial production growth rate went down. In September 2018, it was 4.63% while in September 2019 it is -4.27%. FDI growth rate is also down from 22% in 2014-15 and 35% in 2015-16 to 1% in 2018-19. Even unemployment rate is also highest in last 45 years.

But I am proud to say that in Bangla, we have decreased unemployment by about 44%. It depends on attitude, working capacity and government policies.

Why you should come to Bangla? If you compare, you will see that Industrial production IIP of India was only 30.6% in 2018-19, exactly double that of India. Poverty rate decline in Bangla is highest among all the states. Through the social security scheme, poverty has declined by 6%. This means that we have worked hard. State Plan Expenditure is six times higher. Social Sector Expenditure has grown by 4.5 times. Physical Infrastructure Expenditure has grown by 5 times.

We are No. 1 in this country. We are the No. 1 in lending by banks to MSME, skill development, in rural connectivity and rural housing, in generation of 100 days’ work for the poor people, in expenditure outlet for 100 days programme. We developed in so many areas because of our intention and integrity.

We want you to invest in Bangla. Choose your place where you have the scope and future. We will get the opportunity to employ people. We are not only proud of Bangla because we stay here. Bangla is not only the gateway for Bangladesh, Bhutan and North-Eastern countries; it is the lifeline for the business of the nation. It is the lifeline for the Asian countries also. Bangla has potential enough to do business.

Anyone can say anything politically. But no one can deny the fact that we have done for Bangla in the last 8 years. Bangla is now a model for the industrial development and every other development. We don’t divide the people. We never utter a single word against any cast, religion or community. We believe in togetherness. We feel we are the same family.

More than 13 lakh people are already employed in the tourism industry. My young generation is getting employment. In the hotel industry, the investment was about Rs 39,800 crore. Every year almost 16 lakh tourists are coming up in Bangla. And 8 crore domestic tourists are coming up. Our airport has grown by 178 %. International passengers have grown by 135 %. You can see the highest growth rate of passengers at Bagdogra Airport.

Our workforce is very good. In the last 8 years we have set up about 300 polytechnic and ITI colleges. We have all that you need to invest. We agree to cooperate. We have Land Bank. We have also Land Utilization Policy. We have IT Policy and Tea-tourism industry too.Along with all these we have talented students. Our young generation is working from Uk to USA to NASA to Japan, everywhere.

I will request you to invest in Bangla. We promise to give you full assistance. More than 200 acres we have allotted for silicon valley, IT sector. Our transport sector is a very potential sector.

I have the readymade business in every corner of the State. You have to use it. Invest your money for the betterment of the future. I can tell you that the Bangla will be the NO 1 destination for the world one day.

One country had said, I will not take the name that the Bangla will be on NO1 within 20 years.

We have set up 26 helipads already. We are trying to make the Air connectivity better also. I will request my UK friends to give some direct flights. There was British Airways previously. Now we are giving the fuel subsidy too. I will request you, if there is any opportunity you can pursue the matter. Airports at Balurghat, Malda, Coochbehar Airports are also coming up. Airport in Durgapur is almost ready.

There are so many areas where you can invest your money. You can enjoy our hospitality and friendship. Bangla loves all of you.

Bangla is the cultural capital of India. You can experience good culture, good behaviour, good transparency and good accountability from us. Our credential is our credibility.

I welcome all my friends from 20 different countries , my diplomats, my counsellor general and all. Thank you so much for coming here. Enjoy our hospitality. You give us business, we will offer you our all support with smile. Our country is your country too.

The next summit will be on 15-16th December, 2020 in Kolkata. I extend my open invitation to all of you.

State Govt to create forests across Bangla using Miyawaki Method

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The State Panchayats & Rural Development Department has decided to create forests across Bangla using the Miyawaki Method, a Japanese method of tree planting that helps in building dense, native forests. The government would be using the 100 Days’ Work Scheme to implement it..

The Miyawaki Method involves planting dozens of native species in the same area, which becomes maintenance-free after the first three years. This method ensures plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual.

The first such forest would be coming up on 1,000 acres in the village of Shibganj, in Shyampur-I block in Uluberia subdivision in Howrah district. This forest would be named after the famous Swedish environment activist, Greta Thunberg.

Besides Howrah, the other districts where such afforestation has been planned are Purulia, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Bankura, Jhargram, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Purba Bardhaman and South 24 Parganas.

According to the plan for the pilot project, 3,280 saplings would be planted on 1,000 acres, which would be able to increase their sizes by 30 times in just seven months with the help of the Miyawaki Method. The plants to be planted are native species species like bahera, bael (wood apple), jamun (blackberry), mango, haritaki, babla, banyan, palash, shirish, tal, karamcha and mahua.

Preparations for the pilot project are on in full swing. A 10-day workshop was organised in Shibgunge where 36 officials from various districts participated. A private organisation conducted the workshop.

Ten-fold decrease in trafficking in Bangla

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The latest National Crime Records Bureau report (crimes for 2017) has revealed that the number of cases related to trafficking in Bangla has undergone a ten-fold reduction.

From 3,579 in 2016 the number of trafficking cases reduced to 357 in 2017. Consequently, the number of victims below18 years who were trafficked has also decreased significantly – from 3,113 in 2016 to 319 in 2017.

Programmes like Swayangsinddha, mass awareness and active participation of the police at all levels are the primary reasons for these achievements.

Bangla Govt ensures food for all

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Following are the major achievements with respect to food distribution through the public distribution system (PDS) by the Bangla Government during the rule of the Trinamool Congress, from 2011 to 2019

* Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee initiated the Khadya Sathi food security scheme to provide rice and wheat at Rs 2 per kg to 8.82 crore people, which is almost 90 per cent of the State’s population, including special packages for the people of Jangalmahal and the Hills, the Cyclone Aila-affected, the farmers of Singur, workers and non-workers of closed tea gardens, tribal people of Totopara in Alipurduar district, and destitute and homeless people.

* 50 lakh people get foodgrains at half the market price

* Allocation of foodgrains under PDS increased manifold during the last eight years

* Digital ration cards for all to make distribution hassle-free

Quantities allotted every month:

* People living in tea gardens: 35kg foodgrains at Rs 2 per kg
* People living in Cyclone Aila-affected blocks: 16kg foodgrains at Rs 2 per kg every month
* Farming families of Singur: 16kg foodgrains at Rs 2 per kg
* Over 8 lakh people in the Darjeeling Hills: 11kg foodgrains at Rs 2 per kg
* Over 35 lakh people in Jangalmahal: 11kg foodgrains at Rs 2 per kg
* Totos in Alipurduar: 11kg foodgrains free of cost
* Almost 6,000 malnourished children and their mothers: 5kg rice, 2.5kg fortified atta, 1kg masoor dal, 1kg Bengal gram
* For Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Diwali, Eid, Ramzan, Chhath Puja: Edible oil, Bengal gram, flour, sugar at subsidised rates

* System of payment of sale proceeds of paddy directly to the farmers’ bank accounts through NEFT

* In case of procurement of paddy through co-operative societies, direct payments of sale proceeds of paddy to the farmers within three days from the date of sale

* Major reforms in PDS, including the use of information technology (IT) in management of the PDS

* Construction of model fair price (FP) shops in closed tea gardens

* Storage capacity of grains distributed through PDS enhanced from 62,000 metric tonnes (MT) to 6 lakh MT

* Robust grievance redressal system through toll-free helplines – 18003455505 and 1967

C40 World Mayors Summit applauds Bangla’s innovative Sabujshree Scheme

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The Bangla Government has created another milestone with the Sabujshree Scheme, the latter having received an overwhelming response at the recently-held C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The mayor of Kolkata (also the State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister) had gone to Copenhagen to accept the C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Award for the city’s environment-friendly electric public transportation project.

Sabujshree aims at planting a sapling with the birth of every child in the State. Under Sabujshree, a sapling is given to the mother of every child born in a government hospital anywhere in the State.

The saplings given to the mothers are usually of commercially viable trees like mahogany or sal. The parents are requested to nurture the tree like their own children. When the child becomes an adult, the parents are allowed to sell the tree and spend the money on the child’s education.

It is this aspect of the scheme that received widespread recognition at the conference. Mayors of several cities showed interest in how trees can become an asset to a family.

The scheme is the brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and was introduced in 2016.

Source: Millennium Post

 

Gandhi Bhavan in Kolkata to open as a full-fledged museum

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Gandhi Bhavan, the house in Beleghata, Kolkata where Mahatma Gandhi stayed for a few weeks in 1947 in an effort to quell communal tensions, has now been developed into a full-fledged museum by the Bangla Government. It would be inaugurated today to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary.

When the Mahatma stayed there, it was known as Hyderi Manzil. It was renamed Gandhi Bhavan to honour him.

The Bangla Government under the administration of Mamata Banerjee took over the building in 2018 and has fully upgraded it in an effort to raise awareness among the present generation about Gandhiji and his association with Bangla.

The museum has several divisions including:

* Rare photographs capturing Gandhiji’s life during his 1947 visit to Bangla and stay at Hyderi Manzil

* Articles used by him during the over three-week period of his stay in 1947

* Photographs and articles spanning Gandhiji’s entire life

* Items used by him in the ashram he set up at Sodepur, 10km from Beleghata, to help inmates weave clothes using the charkha

* His correspondence (letters) with people in Noakhali, in present-day Bangladesh, during the period of the turmoil in Kolkata and Noakhali

* Newspaper clippings recording the turbulent phases in Bangla’s history

* Glass case with three swords surrendered to the Mahatma by the rioters

* Audio-visual presentation with voice-over

* Frescoes depicting non-violent movements of Gandhiji on the walls of the museum

* Walls of the central hall are adorned with paintings depicting the 1947 communal violence, made by students of Visva-Bharati University

Fire license fees reduced by 92%

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The Bangla Government has announced its decision to reduce the fire license fees by about 92 per cent. This decision was announced by the Finance and Industry Minister, Dr Amit Mitra recently.

The minister said that during the administrative review meetings held across the State, small and medium-scale business-owners had been requesting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for reducing the mandatory fire license fees to make it easier for them to set up their businesses.

Mamata Banerjee kept her word, and now the fees have been reduced by approximately 92 per cent, in comparison to the last fee structure that was decided in 2017. And the reduction has been across all categories of buildings. This decision was taken after a detailed meeting with the Fire and Disaster Services Department.

There are four categories of fees:

Buildings above 14.5 metres (m) in height (including residential complexes, dharamsalas, educational institutions, art galleries, libraries and museums): Reduced from Rs 53.80 per sq m or Rs 25,000, whichever is higher, to Rs 4.35 per sq m – reduction of 91.91%

5,000 sq m buildings (hospitals, nursing homes, resorts and guest houses): Reduced from Rs 80.70 per sq m or Rs 30,000, whichever is higher, to Rs 6.52 per sq m – reduction of 91.92%

Ports, airports, terminals, shopping complexes, offices and market areas: Reduced from Rs 107.60 per sq m or Rs 50,000, whichever is higher, to Rs 8.70 per sq m – reduction of 91.91%

Hazardous buildings like godowns and warehouses: Reduced from Rs 161.40 per sq m or Rs 1 lakh, whichever is higher, to Rs 13.05 per sq m- reduction of 91.91%

Rs 5,522 cr to be invested in Bangla, over 1 lakh to get jobs

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Over the next two years, an amount of Rs 5,522 crore would be invested in Bangla, leading to the creation of more than one lakh direct and indirect jobs.

This was stated by the State Finance Minister, Dr Amit Mitra, during an address at a session organised by the CII.

He said that despite demonetisation and the hurried implementation of the GST, which were two massive blunders of the BJP-led Central Government, Bangla has been doing comparatively better under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,.

While the GDP growth rate of the country has come down to as low as 5 per cent, the GSDP growth rate of Bangla has touched 12.58 per cent. Then, in Ease of Doing Business (EODB), Bangla stands at the second position among the states.

Kolkata Police ensuring security of the elderly during Durga Pujo

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As part of Pronam, Kolkata Police’s initiative for senior citizens, special instructions are being issued to the elderly so that they can keep themselves safe during the period of Durga Pujo.

While the people are involved in revelry, miscreants can take the opportunity to attempt to steal from houses. Elderly people are especially vulnerable, and hence certain measures are being taken.

Last year, the police had distributed leaflets across the city to make people aware. To make the exercise more effective this time, police personnel have started interacting directly with senior citizens to make them aware of the issues.

Among the instructions being given are –

* Not to keep too much money or costly jewellery at home
* Keep any valuables in bank lockers
* Keep house properly locked if going out, and even otherwise, especially at night
* Inform local police station when going out of the city

Like last year, this year too Kolkata Police would be organising trips to local puja pandals for the members of the initiative, Pronam. Additionally this time, the trips would also include those who are not members of Pronam.