Development of Girl Child; Bengal shows the way

Development of Girl Child; Bengal shows the way

Posted on March 8, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

West Bengal Government in the last three years have taken numerous steps for the development of women. 8 March being internationally marked as Women’s Day, adds to the sense of proud feeling on Bengal’s achievements for their women and girl child.

Kanyashree Scheme:

The West Bengal Government has launched Kanyashree Scheme for the girl child development. Under the Scheme, the Government provides an annual scholarship of Rs 500 (now proposed to Rs 750 in the State Budget 2015) to girls between the age of 12 and 18 (class eight to class 12) to continue with their studies, provided they are unmarried. An onetime grant of Rs 25000 is provided to the girl once she reaches the age of 18, to pursue higher studies.

This Scheme is aimed to stop the problem of early marriage of the girl child and incentivise them to continue higher studies. Every year, 14 August is observed as Kanyashree Divas in West Bengal. Till date, 22 lakh beneficiaries have been enrolled and assistance given to more than 20 lakh beneficiaries. West Bengal Government has allocated a sum of Rs 850 Crore for the Kanyashree project.

Success of the Scheme:

After implementation of the Scheme, the school dropout rate among girls has decreased significantly. According to the National Sample Survey (NSS) 2014, the rate of school drop out of girl child in Bengal is 1.28%, while in 2009 it was 2.34%.

The national average of school dropout among girls in the NSS 2014 is 3.23%.

National and International Acclaim:

The project has received national and international acclaim. UNICEF have partnered with the State for implementation. The project was applauded and acknowledged as one of the ‘Best Practices’ by Department for International Development (DFID) and was selected for a presentation at the ‘Girl Summit 2014’ held at London. It has received the first prize in Manthan South Asia & Asia Pacific Awards in e-Governance.

West Bengal has bagged the prestigious national award for ‘Outstanding Service in Citizen-Centric Service’ for the Kanyashree project.

Other Initiatives for Girl Child:

Apart from the Kanyashree Project, West Bengal Government has provided 5 lakh cycles to girl students in the rural areas so as they do not face the problem of transportation to school. 12.5 lakh girls are covered under the scheme, ‘sabala’, which is an empowered scheme for adolescence girls. ‘Poorna Sakti Kendra’, a pilot project has been started for low sex ratio among child.

WB Government is the first to design a State Plan of Action for Children (SPAC) for 2014-18. Aaganwari is a state sponsored child care and mother care center in India. Till May, 2011 the number of Aaganwari centers were 21,426 and in last three years 14,500 new Aaganwari centers have been opened.

The allocations for Child Development Department has gone up by 16% and for Woman Development and Social Welfare Department has gone up by 12% in the State Budget 2015.

Girls to get more from ‘Kanyashree’ scheme in West Bengal

Posted on March 1, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

The West Bengal Government increased the budget for its successful ‘Kanyashree’ scheme for empowering girls by increasing the scholarship amount.

“Encouraged by the success, I propose to enhance the annual scholarship amount under the scheme from Rs 500 to Rs 750. With this increase, allocation for the ‘Kanyashree Prakalpa’ will stand at Rs 850 crore,” state Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra said in his budget speech.

So far, 22 lakh beneficiaries have been enrolled under the scheme and assistance has been given to 20 lakh people, he said.

Under the scheme, an annual scholarship is provided to poor girls between 13 and 18 years to continue their studies.

Besides, if an unmarried girl continues her studies up to the age of 18 years, a one-time grant of Rs 25,000 is deposited in her bank account.

‘Kanyashree’ was acclaimed as a case study in the Girls’ Summit held in July 2014 at London and had received the first prize in the Manthan South Asia and Asia Pacific award in e-governance.

In the Assembly, the minister also announced that bicycles would be provided to all 40 lakh students of the state from class IX to class XII within the next two years.

“Students in rural areas find it difficult to attend school when they have to walk for some distance. Poor families cannot spare money for transport. This partially accounts for dropouts among students after class VIII,” Mitra said adding they have already distributed almost five lakh bicycles.

This is a budget for Maa, Mati, Manush: WB CM on Bengal Budget 2015

Posted on February 27, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee and Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra held a post-Budget press conference at West Bengal Assembly.

The Chief Minister said, “Today the West Bengal Budget 2015-16 was presented by Dr Amit Mitra. This is a people’s Budget. This is a Budget for Maa, Mati, Manush. West Bengal is the only State facing huge debt-burden. We were asked to wait for 14th Finance Commission Report. But it is silent.”

Highlights of the Chief Minister’s reaction:

Only Bengal is suffering from the debt made by the previous Government

We want to tell the Central Government to write off the debt created by the previous Govt

In spite of our financial constraints, we are giving cycles to 40 lakh students to make them self sufficient and to decrease dropout rates

Stipend for our Kanyashree girls increased from Rs 500 to Rs 750

Tax reliefs, made allotments in rural and urban developmental works, for women and children

More than 5000 people decided to be employed in police at a Cabinet Meeting today

Why should we be penalized for the sins of the previous Government? We have been suffering for last 3 years

We have waited for the 14th Finance Commission for 3 years, we have been promised of loan waiver, but 14th Finance Commission is silent

If other states were in trouble, would not the Center have helped them?

I’ve spoken with the current Union Finance Minister thrice, I spoke to the previous Prime Minister and the previous Finance Minister, they told us to wait for 14th Finance Commission report

We believed and waited for the 14th Finance Commission recommendations, but they are still silent

Highlights of the WB Finance Minister’s reactions:

We are watching for the aggregate amount that Centre will be allotting for WB, inclusive of the grants

We are watching out for the aggregate amount that Centre will be allotting for WB, inclusive of the grants

Fiscal Deficit has decreased continuously over the years and Revenue Deficit has also decreased. The 14th Finance Commission has praised our performance.

Click here for the complete Bengal Budget 2015 highlights.

Never disrespect people in a democracy: WB CM at Rampurhat

Posted on February 10, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

With the BJP suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of AAP in Delhi polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said “arrogance and political vendetta have been defeated today” and that BJP’s “balloon has burst”.

“Never disrespect people in a democracy. Arrogance and political vendetta have been defeated today. People have the final word in a democracy. What an audacity ? There is a (Bengali) proverb that unchecked rise of anything leads to its downfall,” Banerjee said. “In politics there should not be political vengeance and character assassination and insulting the people”, the Trinamool Congress supremo said.

Banerjee is strongly critical of various policies of the Modi government and had earlier accused the BJP of political vendetta against her party over the CBI probe into Saradha scam. Hailing AAP’s victory, Banerjee who is speaking at a state government function on welfare projects said, “This is a victory for formation of government of the people, by the people and for the people. Loser is always a loser and winner is a winner.”

Earlier in the day she had tweeted that the Delhi Assembly polls were a “turning point” in the present political situation which showed that political vendetta had no place in democracy. Party Spokesman Derek O’Brien said besides congratulating AAP for its landslide victory in Delhi polls on Twitter, she has sent a SMS to Kejriwal congratulating him.

Source: PTI

Women empowerment: WB Govt to provide vocational training to girls

Posted on February 5, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

After the grand success of the Kanyashree Prakalpa, the WB Government has moved another step forward in empowering women. To make women self-reliant, the state government has come up with a very innovative plan.

West Bengal Government has tied up with leading cosmetic and beauty care firms – Shahnaz Hussain and Sharmila Singh Flora – for imparting vocational training in beautician courses to girls across villages of the State. The training is free and a certificate will be provided at the end of the course.

Currently, the training is being imparted to secondary-pass girls belonging to Other Backward Classes, in the age group of 18-35. Applications can be submitted online.

At the moment there are 65 training centres in 14 villages. The target is to set up such training centres in all 40,000 villages of West Bengal. It is a three month course, with 4 hours training for 4 days in a week.

Once the training is over, the State Government will provide loan to the girls to set up their own shops, if they so desire. They can either do it individually or in a group.

The success story of Kanyashree – Mamata Banerjee’s brainchild

Posted on January 22, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

The historic Kanyashree Project, launched by the West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee in 2013 is now bearing the fruits of her outstanding farsightedness.

The Chief Minister said that girls are precious assets of the society and in future they will lead the country. She laid stress empowering the future citizens of the nation through proper education. She appealed to the parents not to marry off minor girls only to achieve social security; they should be allowed to study and build their future.

About the scheme

Launched on 1st October, 2013, the response had been so huge that within a year 16 lakh girls were registered under the scheme. Till date 22 lakh girls have been registered under the scheme and the government plans to extend the benefit to 40 lakh girls in the next two years.

In terms of simplicity, transparency and outreach, Kanyashree scheme is unique and first of its kind in India. Not only can an applicant apply for the scheme in her school, madrassah, vocational training centre or wherever she is studying, for transparency purpose, the entire scheme can be accessed online on a dedicated website – www.wbkanyashree.gov.in

UNICEF partners West Bengal Government for the implementation of Kanyashree

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) has become a partner of the West Bengal Government for the implementation of Kanyashree scheme. The objective is to instill confidence among them, to encourage their education, and to discourage their early marriage.

The partnership between UNICEF and West Bengal Government is not a superficial involvement but a technical partnership. UNICEF has decided to hire a premium agency with the best expertise in India to do a “baseline survey” regarding the scheme. This will be followed by an “impact assessment”, to be funded by UNICEF.

Kanyashree scheme receives international recognition

Department for International Development ,United Kingdom and UNICEF had selected the scheme for presentation at the”Girl Summit” 2014 to be held at London. The State Government has been invited to make a presentation of the scheme before a global audience.

Union Women and Child Development Minister praises Kanyashree scheme

Union Minister of Women and Child Development praised the Kanyashree scheme of West Bengal Government during a reply on the motion for stricter measures to curb the rising crimes against women. During her speech she said that the Kanyashree scheme was an excellent idea.

The first Kanyashreee Dibas

The first Kanyashreee Dibas was celebrated on August 14, 2014 in every block of the State. On the day, The Chief Minister felicitated fifty girl students for their achievement in different competitions, as well as distributed prizes to three best districts, three best schools and three best colleges for their contribution to the Kanyashree scheme.

Film on Kanyashree by Oscar-winning filmmaker

After international accolades, recognition by UNICEF and invitation to the Girl Summit 2014 in London, the Kanyashree scheme has also been portrayed in a short-film made by an Oscar-winning director on a young girl’s fight to stave off marriage and help her family make ends meet and was screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival. Made by Oscar winning American short filmmaker Megan Mylan, the film, ‘After My Garden Grows’, was about a beneficiary of the West Bengal Government’s Kanyashree and Sabala schemes that are aimed at empowering the women of rural Bengal.

Kanyashree impact: School dropout rate among girls falls in Bengal

According to data from the National Sample Survey 2014, the school dropout rate among girls in the State has come down. The report says that while the National average for school dropout rate for girls is 3.23%, the same for the State is 1.28%. In the 2009 survey, the figure stood at 2.34% for Bengal.

National honours for Kanyashree

The Department of Woman Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal has been awarded Silver Medal for the “Kanyasshree Prakalpo” in the Category of “Outstanding Service in Citizen-Centric Service.”

Bottomline

Using Kanyashree as a weapon, the state government is now urging the police and non-government organizations to go ahead to the micro level to generate awareness so that such crimes are minimised in the state. In a special training programme for police personnel jointly organized by the district police, district legal services authority (DLSA) and an NGO, the joint secretary emphasised on the utility of Kanyashree.

West Bengal is home to 88.34 lakh teenager girls as per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Most of these girls are vulnerable to child trafficking in the form of child marriage and other forms of coercion. Kanyasree project is an exclusive scheme to save the vulnerable girls. Police personnel are being explained on how to take action against trafficking of teenagers and prevent banes like child marriage.

Bengal bags awards for e-governance and Kanyashree

Posted on January 21, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Actions speak louder than words. West Bengal has shown the way again. West Bengal Government has bagged prestigious National Awards for “Excellence in Government Process Reengineering” and “Outstanding Service in Citizen-Centric Service.” Bengal won Silver awards in both the categories, given away by the Central Government.

E-initiatives in Commercial Taxes:

The Finance Department of West Bengal has been awarded Silver Medal for the e-taxation project under the category of “Excellence in Government Process Reengineering”. The Finance Minister, Amit Mitra welcomed the decision. “The cutting edge use of e-taxation has revolutionized the ease of doing business and doubled tax collections here”, he added.

West Bengal’s tax revenues have gone up from Rs 21,000 crore in 2010-11, to about Rs 40,000 crore, which is historic.

Kanyashree Prakalpo:

The Department of Woman Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal has been awarded Silver Medal for the “Kanyasshree Prakalpo” in the Category of “Outstanding Service in Citizen-Centric Service.”

The Chief Minister opened the Kanyashree Prakalpo, which consists of an annual stipend of Rs 500 for girls aged between 13 to 18, studying in school and providing one time grant of Rs 25,000 to unmarried girl between the age to 18 and 19 and who are undergoing study or training. About 11 lakh girls have already been enlisted and another 8 lakh sanctioned.

Primary education – Bengal shows the way

Posted on January 15, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

West Bengal is steadily coming out of the shadows of the CPM misrule in every sphere, be it education, health or industries.

The Annual Status of Education Reports 2014 (ASER) states that in the fields of reading English and Bengali and solving arithmetic at primary level, students of the State are far ahead of the National Average.

The survey was conducted among 5.70 lakh students aged between 3 and 16, from 16 thousand 497 villages of 577 districts in the country.

In the criteria where third standard students could read books of the first standard, the national average in 2012 had been 40.4 while Bengal’s average was 45.6. In the 2014 survey, the national average is 40.3 whereas the State’s average is 56.2.

In the criteria where fifth standard students could read books of the third standard, the national average in 2012 had been 48.3 while Bengal’s average was 48.9. In the 2014 survey, the national average is 48.1 whereas the State’s average is 53.1.

In the criteria where third standard students could do arithmetic like subtraction, the national average in 2012 had been 19.8 while Bengal’s average was 25.1. In the 2014 Survey, the national average has fallen to 17.3 whereas the State’s average rose to 33.0.

Incidentally, the school dropout rate among girl students has also decreased in the State after the introduction of Kanyashree project in 2012.

Image courtesy: The Hindu

Kanyashree impact: School dropout rate among girls falls in Bengal

Posted on January 9, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

That actions speak louder than words is exemplified yet again by West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee. Her vision is showcased through her mission. Kanyashree, the internationally acclaimed project started by the Government of West Bengal, has borne fruit.

About the scheme

The Kanyashree Scheme was inaugurated by the Trinamool Congress government in October, 2013, with the express purpose of ensuring the education of girls and thereby preventing forced child marriage.

Under the scheme, the government provides an annual scholarship of Rs. 500 to girls between 12 and 18 years (class eight to class 12) to continue with their studies, provided they are unmarried. A one-time grant of Rs 25,000 is also provided to the girl, once she reaches the age of 18, to pursue higher studies.

International recognition

The project was applauded by UNICEF which partnered with the State for implementation. The project also received international recognition by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and State representatives were invited to the London Girls’ Summit 2014 in to talk about the scheme in front of a global audience.

14 Achievements of West Bengal Government in 2014

Posted on December 31, 2014 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

West Bengal is witnessing rapid growth and progress under the leadership of Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee. From MSME sector to 100 Days Work, from a successful business trip to Singapore to the creation of a new district – Alipurduar, a surge of development is going on in different sectors.

Here are the 14 BIG achievements of the West Bengal Government in 2014:

1. MSME

In terms of Bank lending, West Bengal has grown at the highest pace. Bank lending to MSME sector has gone up by 105%. In 2014 WB Govt has set up 152 new clusters in three years of our Government in the MSME, Handloom and Khadi Sector, that will generate jobs for 4 lakh people.

2. Singapore Business Trip:

Mamata Banerjee headed for a 5 day trip to Singapore. She met with the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister of the Singapore and a host of business heads of Singapore. More than a dozen business dealings were commenced. Pact was signed with InfraCo Asia, Axsys Technologies and Compass Energy Pte Ltd, GIC and others. It opened new doors of understanding between Kolkata and Singapore.

3. Uttar Kanya :

The establishment of the Branch Secretariat of Government of West Bengal at Uttar Kanya, Dabgram, is another bold initiative taken by the present Government, after the creation of North Bengal Development Department. This will cater to the needs of 22% population residing in 24% of the total area of the state comprising of 7 districts. This not only signals the honest & sincere intention of the Government towards the overall development of North Bengal but this is the first such instance in the country. The first administrative meeting was held on 11th February, chaired by the CM Ms Mamata Banerjee.

4. Kanyashree Dibas:

Every year, 14th August is celebrated as the Kanyashree Dibas. The Chief Minister opened the Kanyashree Prakalpo, which consists of an annual stipend of Rs 500 for girls aged between 13 to 18, studying in school and providing one time grant of Rs 25,000 to unmarried girl between the age to 18 and 19 and who are undergoing study or training. About 11 lakh girls have already been enlisted and another 8 lakh sanctioned. It has been given international recognition by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and UNICEF.

5. No. 1 in 1o0 Days’ Work Scheme:

West Bengal ranked No.1 in the country in terms of expenditure under 100-days work in 2013-14. The State exceeded the budget and recorded highest-ever expenditure of more than Rs 5600 Crore.

6. Fair Price Shops:

Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee constantly monitored the market prices and met with the task force to keep the prices of foods in control. The Govt rolled out fair price seed shops, fair price vegetable shops and prices of the food grains were kept under close watch. The Government is also launching Fair Price Diagnostic Centres.

7. Boost for Culture:

Kolkata is often called the Cultural Capital of India. Two important developments that took place in the year 2014 is the inauguration of the Nazrul Tirtha and Mothers Wax Museum. Nazrul Manch which mainly hosts music gags has been renovated with better acoustic.

8. New District of Alipurduar:

2014 is the year to remember for the people of North Bengal. The new district was formally formed on 25 June. CM Ms Mamata Banerjee officially announced the formation of Alipurduar district at a function held at Alipurduar parade ground.

9. ‘Power’-ful achievements:

West Bengal is no more a power-deficit state in 2014. There has been huge capacity building in the last 3 years. In Jan 2014, WBSEDCL had crossed 1 crore 35 lakh subscriber which is a mile stone for Bengal. Bengal received the third position in Best State Power Utility Award for providing 24X7 power supply. WBSEB received the second prize for management excellence and the first prize was awarded to CESC.

10. New buses, new routes:

2014 has been a year of rapid expansation of routes and new buses. Almost more than a double dozen new routes are opened with more than 700 new buses launched. New, no-refusal AC and non-AC taxis are also launched. Some AC buses have been made Wi-Fi enabled and ‘smart buses’ are being rolled out.

11. World Bank’s Award for Gram Panchayats of West Bengal:

WB Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee announced that under the World Bank Project on Institutional Strengthening, 986 out of 999 Gram Panchayats of Bengal have qualified for award of block grant of around Rs. 20 lakh each

12. Awards Galore:

In 2014, West Bengal was adjudged as the Best State in All India Skill Competition 2013. Kolkata received the safest city award by India Today group. The e-Abgari project of the Excise Department, West Bengal has bagged the Platinum Award conferred by the Skoch Foundation. During the Republic Day parade at New Delhi, the state’s tableaux won the first prize.

13. Boost for Tourism:

WB CM visited Sagar Islands and Sunderbans with a delegation of industrialists who pledged to invest in the development of tourism infrastructure in these areas. The CM announced plans to develop a deep sea port at Sagar while eco-tourism would be the focus at Sunderbans.

14. Visit to Amlashole

Amlashole is the poorest village of the State which hit the headlines years back due to starvation deaths. No Chief Minister in the past ever cared to visit Amlashole. It was Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee who visited Amlashole earlier this year, and took a slew of projects like creation of road from Kankrajhore to Amlashole, schools and others.

Written by: Agnivo Niyogi and Sanmit Sarkar