Water meters to prevent wastage

Water meters to prevent wastage

Posted on September 18, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

To prevent wastage of water, Kolkata Municipal Corporation has decided to instal water meters inside homes and on pipes. The project has been started on a pilot basis.

Six wards in Borough I have been selected for the pilot. About 7,500 water meters have been installed. For each home, there is a meter inside the home and another on the main pipe which is supplying the home.

Through the meters, officials would have a clear idea of how much water is being used by each household and accordingly find out ways to reduce the usage. The meters would also help officials know if there is a crack through which water is spilling out.

According to KMC officials, the ideal usage of piped water per person per day should be 150 litres (l) but 450 to 550 l is being used. So obviously there is a need for conservation of water.

State Govt has created tree cover of more than 5,000 hectares

Posted on September 13, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

The effort of the State Forest Department has enabled the creation of more than 5,000 hectares of tree cover across Bangla – 5,422.62 hectares to be exact – in financial year 2018-19. This fact was stated by the Forest Minister recently in the Assembly.

The tree cover in the State currently amounts to 15.50 per cent of the total area of the State and the total forest cover is 13.38 per cent.

Saplings of trees like sal, segun, mahogany, mango, jamun, haritaki and others, totalling 1,08,28,000, have been planted to create the cover, he said.

It needs to be mentioned in this context that during the week celebrating Van Mahotsav (for seven days from July 14) and at other times all through the year, lakhs of saplings are distributed for planting. Then, as part of the Sabujshree Scheme, saplings of commercially valuable trees are given to mothers of newborns to plant so that the trees can be sold after 18 years and the money used to fund the child’s higher education.

The minister also informed the Assembly that forest preservation is being done in the Sundarbans using the process of GIS tagging. Mangrove trees are also being planted.

Centre not sending 100 Days’ Work funds on time: Mamata Banerjee

Posted on September 13, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in the Assembly recently that the Centre is not giving the money to the State Government for paying the workers under the 100 Days’ Work Scheme on time.

She said that Bangla is the best in 100 Days’ Work, rural road construction and housing for the poor. She said that the Irrigation, Forest, Environment and Fisheries Departments are providing a lot of work in this regard. Three lakh ponds have been dug.

Suggestions of Mamata Banerjee to the Centre:

· If workers under 100 Days’ Work are employed for planting trees, it would increase their incomes
· Those working in the Mid-Day Meal Scheme should also be brought under 100 Days’ Work

Water conservation: ‘Jalatirtha’ scheme going strong

Posted on September 13, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Jalatirtha, one of the flagship schemes of the Trinamool Congress Government, was launched by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on this day in 2015 to run water conservation projects across the red laterite zone that comprises the districts of Bankura, Jhargram, Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Paschim Bardhaman and parts of Birbhum.

The Jal Dharo Jal Bharo Scheme, announced in 2011, received a boost with the Jalatirtha Scheme, which is the signature scheme for the red laterite zone. Under both the schemes, water retention structures like ponds, tanks, rivulets have been created to hold water. Steps have been taken so that evaporation does not take place.

The Water Resources Investigation and Development (WRI&D) Department runs both schemes. It has taken up schemes linked to water conservation across a total area of 1.45 lakh acres. The water level is extremely low in these zones and water extraction is very difficult.

Under Jalatirtha, as many as 13,945 projects have been taken up in the last eight years (since 2011) in the red laterite zone, of which 141 are solar-powered.

Among the almost 14,000 projects, more than 900 – structures like watersheds and check dams – have come up under Jalatirtha, including 176 in Bankura, 57 in Birbhum, 75 in Jhargram, 427 in Purulia and 224 in Paschim Medinipur.

The Department has now extended Jalatirtha to the saline zones, particularly in pockets of the Sundarbans, which include both South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas.

Honouring the legacy of Swami Vivekananda

Posted on September 11, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

The great follower of the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is, she has named various schemes and places after this great son of Bangla. She has also ensured the renovation of buildings that have a historic connection to the great sage.

Here is a list of works of the Bangla Government done to preserve the legacy of Swami Vivekananda:

* Making Swami Vivekananda’s famous Chicago address part of the syllabus for schools under the Madhyamik Board

* Giving autonomy and special status to educational institutions run by Ramakrishna Sarada Mission

* Allotting 5 acres and allocating Rs 10 crore for the Centre for Human Excellence and Social Sciences being built by the Ramakrishna Mission in New Town, as a replica of the Art Institute of Chicago, where Vivekananda delivered his famous speeches in 1893; it has been named ‘Vivek Tirtha’ by Mamata Banerjee

* Acquiring and handing over of the premises adjoining Vivekananda’s ancestral house to Ramakrishna Mission

* Renovating ‘Mayer Bari’ in Baghbazar, Kolkata, where Maa Sarada, the wife of Sri Ramakrishna lived, at a cost of Rs 30 crore

* Acquiring Sister Nivedita’s house in Baghbazar and handing it over to Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, and giving it heritage status

* Allocating Rs 2 crore for the renovation of Roy Villa in Darjeeling, associated with Sister Nivedita, and handing it over to Ramakrishna Mission

* Building a skywalk connecting Dakshineswar railway station to the famous temple there; it was named Dakshineswar Rani Rashmoni Skywalk by Mamata Banerjee

* Renaming Yuba Bharati Krirangan after Swami Vivekananda, as Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan

* Naming the self-employment scheme run by the Self-Help and Self-Employment Department as Swami Vivekananda Swanirbhar Karmasansthan Prakalpa

* Naming the scholarship for students from economically disadvantaged families as Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means Scholarship

* Organising Vivek Chetana Utsav from January 10 to 12 every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda across the State (January 12 is celebrated as National Youth Day, being the birthday of Swami Vivekananda)

* State Assembly passing Bills for the setting up of two private universities – Sister Nivedita University (Bill passed in 2017) and Swami Vivekananda University (Bill passed in 2019)

Slums in Kolkata to be developed as model slums

Posted on September 11, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to gradually improve the infrastructure of all the slums within its jurisdiction to transform them into model slums.

Till now, only selected slums were being developed as model slums. But now it has been decided to encompass all the slums in Kolkata under the scheme.

The first slum developed as a model slum was Hatgachia-1 in Ward 58, the work for which started in 2015. The work for redeveloping several more slums has started.

Since the areas and geography of slums are not uniform, the development would take place according to the conditions available.

In the current phase, 20 slums in the northern part of the city have been selected – 15 in Ward 3 (Belgachhia) and five in Ward 32 (Maniktala). Rs 1 crore has been allotted for each slum.

Among the aspects to be given stress are toilets, sewerage system (drains), drinking water, roads and pavements (using paver blocks) and lighting system (using LED lights). Gardens would be created to beautify the slums.

Bangla Govt celebrates anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic Chicago speech

Posted on September 11, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Today, September 11, marks the 126th anniversary of the famous address by Swami Vivekananda at the World Parliament of Religions, held at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1893. This address set the tone for the worldwide fame of Swami Vivekananda and the spreading of Vedanta philosophy across the world.

The Bangla Government is organising programmes to mark this historic day, in association with the Ramakrishna Mission. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would be leading the celebrations.

Various programmes including seminars in public halls and schools would be held to uphold the ideals of Swami Vivekananda, which are relevant for all times.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE HISTORIC SPEECH DELIVERED ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1893, AS WELL AS THE FIVE OTHER SPEECHES DELIVERED AT THE PARLIAMENT OVER THE COURSE OF 16 DAYS

State Govt gives traditional treatment methods a fillip

Posted on September 6, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is creating more avenues for traditional methods of treatment to contribute towards health care delivery. The State Government has taken several more initiatives recently in this regard.

Hospitals and courses

A yoga and naturopathy degree college and hospital will be set up in Belur in Howrah district at an estimated cost of Rs 67 crore. It will have 100 beds with an annual intake capacity of 60 students.

A 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospital is under construction in Medinipur town. It will become functional in this financial year.

The State Government has also given consent to provide 10 acres in the premises of Kalyani TB Sanatorium for a Central Research Institute on Yoga and Naturopathy at Kalyani in Nadia.

Pathological and biochemical tests are now being done free of cost at Viswanath Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya and Hospital in collaboration with private laboratories.

Two new postgraduate courses have been started, each with six seats – ‘Practice of Medicine’ at Calcutta Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital and ‘Materia Medica’ at Mahesh Bhattacharyya Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital.

Benefits

The Trinamool Congress Government has laid enormous stress on the development of infrastructure in the AYUSH (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha, homoeopathy) sector. The AYUSH method of treatment is also cost-effective.

The Government created the AYUSH Branch under the Health and Family Welfare Department. Many AYUSH hospitals have also been constructed in different parts of the State.

State Assembly passes 2 Bills to set up universities

Posted on September 6, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

The State Assembly passed the Hindi University Bill tabled by the Government on Thursday to encourage Hindi-medium education in Bangla. The State-aided university will be set up in Howrah.

Commenting during the tabling of the Bill, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Bill was introduced because “there are several Hindi-speaking people staying in Bangla” and that it “will show us a new path” and “will stand for harmony and unity”.

She also requested the Education Department to quickly initiate the construction of the university on the land that has been already acquired. The name, she said, will be decided after talking to all communities.

A day earlier, the Assembly had passed a Bill to enable the setting up of a university in the name of Swami Vivekananda.

This self-financing private university will be set up in Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas. The proposed university would deal in various specialised fields like science, technology, law, management, social sciences, medicine, education, humanities and performing arts.

Special cell and helplines for backward communities launched by State Govt

Posted on September 5, 2019 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

The State Backward Classes Welfare (BCW) Department recently launched several initiatives for the redressal of grievances of the people belonging to the backward communities of the State.

A special cell was launched, along with two helplines – a toll-free number and a number for WhatsApp and text messaging. The toll-free number is 1800 5727 730, while the number for text messaging and WhatsApp is 85829 56555.

This measure was adopted in light of the directives provided to the department by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure that the SC, ST, tribal and other backward class communities do not encounter any harassment in attaining their caste certificates.

At a meeting on July 2, 2019 with the Chief Minister and all 84 SC and ST MLAs, irrespective of their political affiliation, the State Assembly had instructed the concerned officials to expedite the process of disbursement of SC/ST certificates, since backward class communities require them for admission into schools and universities as well as for jobs in reserved posts in both the State and Central Government.

The BCW Department has delivered more than 90,000 caste certificates to beneficiaries in recent weeks, via camps across districts. Another 40,000 would be given away soon. The BCW Department has formed a committee comprising 23 senior officials to expedite clearance of the applications.