Foundation stone of State’s first Hindi University laid

Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today laid the foundation stone of the first Hindi University in the State. The university will come up at Arupara in Howrah district.

The CM also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for several other projects on the occasion. She also distributed benefits of various schemes to people from the stage.

Highlights of her speech:

Who could have thought the State Secretariat would be relocated to Howrah? We did it.

Swasthya Bhavan will be shifted to a 3 acre plot behind Nabanna soon. The work for DPR has begun.

Who could have thought, a helipad would come at Dumurjola? We have already set up 30 new helipads across the State.

New airports have come up at Malda, Balurghat, Andal and Cooch Behar. One more is coming up at Purulia.

Whenever someone from outside visits Kolkata, they say the city has progressed. This is poriborton. But a few jealous people refuse to acknowledge the change that has happened in the State.

Bangla’s Kanyashree scheme won the first prize from UN. Bangla is No. 1 in the world.

There is 50% reservation for women in local bodies. Women get maternity leave for 731 days.

We have done away with income ceiling for Kanyashree scheme. Everyone is eligible for the scholarship now.

We have distributed Sabooj Sathi cycles. 72 lakh SC/ST students have received Sikshashree scholarships. 2.12 crore minority students have also received scholarships, the highest in India.

58 lakh OBC students are now pursuing higher education. We have started Swami Vivekananda Merit scholarships for general caste students.

Before we came to power in 2011, there were only 12 universities in Bangla. We have set up 28 new universities in the last seven and half years. We laid the foundation for one more today. 10 more universities are in the pipeline.

We have done away with khajna tax and mutation fees on agricultural land.

We have waived off mutation fees on inherited land. You need not to go gazetted officers for attestations anymore. Our government has started self-attestations.

State Govt pays the full premium for crop insurance. The State Govt is funding the scheme entirely, not the Centre.

72 lakh farmer families will benefit from the Krishak Bandhu scheme.

We give financial assistance of Rs 5000 to pregnant women. We send ‘Matri Jaan’ to ferry mothers to hospitals.

Not only Bangla, people from Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha also come to our State for free healthcare.

We have brought 7.5 crore people under Swasthya Sathi scheme. We are not a part of Ayushmaan Bharat scheme. It is hogwash.

We have issued the Swasthya Sathi cards in the name of women, recognising them as the head of the family. Even her parents will be eligible for insurance with that card.

Today we have laid the foundation stone for drinking water supply projects worth Rs 1488 crore. Another project worth Rs 1100 crore will be initiated tomorrow at Bankura.

Earlier people used to complain about load shedding. Those days are now history.

Narendra Modi goes for even inaugurating toilets. Why does he seek so much publicity? He only believes in publicity, no action.

When demonetisation was announced, I was the first to call it a disaster. More than 2 crore people have lost their jobs since then.

More than 12,000 farmers have committed suicide in the country. Charity begins at home. Bengal is No. 1 in generating employment under MGNREGA.

We are No. 1 in skill development training through Utkarsh Bangla.

Our Utkarsh Bangla scheme has been ranked among the top 5 among 1,062 schemes from across the world.

Sabooj Sathi has been ranked among the top 5 among 1142 schemes from across the world.

We have reduced unemployment by 40%. It is on record in Parliament.

Modi babu knows only how to manipulate data.

Five years are gone. This government’s expiry date is over. Will taking expired medicines treat the ailment?

Elections are around the corner. Hence, they are brandishing arms and weapons. They are indulging in opportunistic politics over the blood of the jawans.

We are with the armed forces. We are with the martyrs. We are in favour of peace, not riots. We stand by the people of this country. We are against Modi. We are against BJP.

If you speak against them, you are branded as Pakistanis. We are all Pakistani, and they are the only nationalists?

They are searching about religion on Google everyday. My religion is humanity.

Abraham Lincoln had said “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”

They are creating divisions within the society. They are pitting people against each other. Everyone is terrorised.

Have you ever seen people so scared of the Prime Minister, as if he is Gabbar Singh?

We are announcing a new scheme ‘Yuvashree Arpan’ under which 50,000 youths will receive financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh for setting up a enterprise

We have given due recognition to all languages – Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Gurmukhi, Santhali, Ol Chiki, Kamtapuri, Rajbongshi, Kurukh, Kurmali

Dumurjola is being developed as a Khel City.

Yuvashree Arpan – Bangla CM announces new scheme for employment of youths

Bangla CM Mamata Banerjee today announced a new scheme ‘Yuvashree Arpan’ for the youth. Under this scheme 50,000 youths in the State will receive financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh for setting up an enterprise. The MSME department will be funding this scheme.

The CM said, “When demonetisation was announced, I was the first to call it a disaster. More than 2 crore people have lost their jobs since then. More than 12,000 farmers have committed suicide in the country.”

She also said, “We have reduced unemployment by 40%. It is on record in Parliament. Bangla is No. 1 in generating employment under MGNREGA. We are No. 1 in skill development training through Utkarsh Bangla.”

She also slammed the Centre in her speech: “Charity begins at home. Modi babu knows only how to manipulate data. Five years are over. This government’s expiry date is over. Will taking expired medicines treat the ailment?”

The CM also laid the foundation stone for the State’s first Hindi University at today’s function.

File Image

 

State Govt launches Silpa Disha app for MSME sector

The State Government has launched an app, Silpa Disha to enable communication between small investors and the State Government. The app is run by the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Textiles (MSME&T) Department.

Importantly, communication here includes the conveying of any grievances that micro, small and medium enterprises might have. Through the app, the issues are submitted to the department and the MSME Directorate. The status of the issue submitted can be tracked with the help of a docket number.

The government has always been open about solving industry-related issues promptly, and this app is another example of that approach.

Grievances related to land, power, infrastructure, pollution certification and several more aspects can be submitted through Silpa Disha.

It is significant to note that around 100 questions, mostly related to land, have come through the app from across the State, which officials of the department and directorate have answered through the app.

As of now, questions are answered during working hours. However, soon officials would be appointed for a 24-hour query-solving system.

The app can be downloaded by clicking here

File Image

Bangla declared leading State in family planning

Bangla has been declared as the leading state for adopting effective family planning methods at the 5th National Summit in Guwahati.

The infant mortality rate has dropped to 25 per 1,000 births while the institutional delivery rate has increased to 97 per cent due to a number of initiatives taken up by the Trinamool Congress Government.

As per an economic review published by the State Government’s Department of Planning and Statistics, in 2018-19, the state leads in postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) acceptance rate in the country, with an achievement of 40 per cent.

With continued emphasis on family planning, the couple protection rate (CPR) of Bangla has improved from 49.9 per cent to 57 per cent, one of the highest in the country.

The review also mentions that the teenage fertility rate has dropped from 25.3 per cent to 18 per cent and the occurrence of low birth weight has also declined from 22.9 per cent to 16.7 per cent.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has laid great emphasis on health infrastructure in the rural areas and on mother and child care. Various Waiting Huts or ‘pre-delivery huts’ have been constructed by the Health Department to provide free healthcare facilities to pregnant women in remote areas.

It may also be mentioned that the Bangla Government has achieved another significant milestone – immunisation of 99 per cent of its children.

Source: Millennium Post

File Image

 

Bangla Govt to develop ‘theme cities’ under PPP model

Bangla is set to develop six ‘theme cities’, covering approximately 50 acres of land in total, on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Bids from private investors are being seeked.

This was announced by the chairman of the development agency, Hidco (who is also the additional principal secretary to the Information Technology and Electronics Department) at a seminar organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Kolkata.

It may be mentioned that New Town near Kolkata, under the stewardship of Hidco, has been developed as the first smart city of the State, and is considered a model worth emulating in the country.

In addition to this, he also said that the construction of the hardware parks in Naihati, Falta and Sonarpur are going on in full swing, and on completion, these would add a new dimension to the IT infrastructure of the State.

Source: Ei Samay

File Image

 

72 lakh farmer families to get cheques under Krishak Bandhu Scheme

The State Government has aimed for a target of 72 lakh farmer families for paying the grants under the Krishak Bandhu Scheme, announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on December 31.

The handing over of the cheques had begun on January 30 at a programme in Rampurhat in Birbhum district, which the Agriculture Minister presided over.

For now, the Agriculture Department has listed the names of 15 lakh farmers as beneficiaries, with the rest of the names to be finalised soon. The Finance Department has allotted Rs 4,500 crore to the Agriculture Department for the purpose in the first week of February.

The grant for each farmer amounts to Rs 5,000 for an acre of land, to be paid through cheques. The amount would be handed over in two instalments of Rs 2,500 each.

Those owning less than an acre would received a proportional amount. However, in the first phase, each farmer would get a minimum amount of Rs 2,000. The first instalment would be given now and the next, six months later.

The beneficiaries are being selected only after showing proper documents for the plots in question. For those who do not have the documents, special camps have been opened in every panchayat office for making them. Officers of the Land and Land Reforms Department are also present in these camps.

Valid documents include property deeds for owned plots and lease deeds for leased plots. Sharecroppers or bargadars and owners of pattas are also eligible to receive payment under Krishak Bangla Scheme, the relevant ownership documents for them being record of rights (ROR) document and patta record, respectively.

Source: Ei Samay

File Image

The dictatorial Modi Govt must go: Mamata Banerjee

Trinamool Chairperson Mamata Banerjee today addressed a meeting of the extended core committee of the party. She gave directions to the party workers and leaders regarding the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Mamata Banerjee said the situation in the country is dangerous and the country needs ‘poriborton’ (change).

Highlights of her speech:

Those who do not have any work, only give speeches. Their only work is to give bhashan.

They have completely ‘captured’ Doordarshan. They are misusing all the agencies. They are spending more money on PR than funding projects.

From job security to national security, internal security to farmers’ security, unemployment to demonetisation – we witnessed a disaster in India for the last five years

India’s cultural heritage, unity, federal structure, institutions, constitution, history – everything has been destroyed

There is RSS stamp on everything today. They follow an extremist ideology, spreading hate and violence

Even journalists who question the government are being harassed, whether on social media or even threatened at their homes

There is no rule of law in the country.

In Bangla, we said “Bodla noy, bodol chai” (we want change not revenge). But that is not the case in UP

All the thieves have united. All the CBI-ED ponthis (followers) have united.

They do not follow the basic courtesies in politics

Wearing a fetti (scarf) on head, they are spreading hate. We respect the sadhus of Bharat Sevasram Sangha or Ramakrishna Mission. But not these people

If you come across any rumour mongering in your area, in case someone tries to incite riots, inform the police

Whether it is Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, our MPs have the best performance. They have worked with their heads held high even in this atmosphere of fear

Whenever our MPs have tried to speak out against the government, they start a CBI investigation against them

Since 1995, I have been demanding electoral reforms. We want state funding of election. Small parties cannot match the funding of larger parties

The economy of the country has become a disaster

There is an atmosphere of hate prevailing in the country. They are creating divisions between people. This has never happened before

They are using social media to spread fake news. They are using pictures of UP or some other place and claiming the incident happened here. Their entire politics rests on lies

They are trying to “create” an atmosphere of threat by holding bike rallies at midnight.

CPI(M)-Congress bhai bhai – we have seen that already. We are least bothered about them

In the Panchayat elections Jagai-Madhai-Bidaai (CPI(M)-Congress-BJP) had an understanding in many places

Despite the huge debt burden, we have extended the Swasthya Sathi scheme to 7.5 crore people

We have waived off khajna tax and mutation fees on agricultural land

We are paying the full premium of crop insurance scheme for the farmers

We have started a new Krishak Bandhu scheme. Farmers will receive Rs 5,000 annually for every acre of land

Some people with ulterior motives are spreading rumours to incite communal tension

Let us take the pledge today to remove the dictatorial Modi regime from power

When they go out of power, truth about their financial corruption will come to light

Jagai-Madhai, the ‘brothers in arms’, who came to power after riots, are running the government

No one had the gumption to protest against their misdeeds, except us

We want poriborton in India. We want Modi-Amit Shah to be ousted

We had earlier said ‘Du hajar unish, BJP finish’. BJP hatao, Desh bachao

The government had intelligence input about Pulwama attack. Why were jawans not airlifted? Why were roads not sanitised?

They want to do politics over the dead bodies of jawans. People will not be fooled.

You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time

Workers are the biggest assets in Trinamool.

A true leader takes everyone along. A true leader rises from the ranks through action

Does he (Modi) do anything else apart from posing for the cameras?

They might try to manipulate the EVMs. Our workers must be trained about VVPAT machines

They are dreaming of winning 23 seats in Bangla by tampering EVMs. We will show them

The days of Maddy babu are over. The days of arrogance are over. They days of traitors are over

Bangla will show the way to the rest of the country

I have never seen such low-level politics in my life. This is politics of the absurd

We have to win 42 seats out of 42

Swasthya Sathi: Bangla beats Centre’s target by 28 lakh families

When the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Bangla Government and the Central Government for family health insurance, for combining Swasthya Sathi and Ayushmaan Bharat, the target set was to enlist 1.12 crore families.

However, when the scheme started to be implemented, the Centre started sending letters to the families with the prime minister’s photo on the letters, despite the State’s Swasthya Sathi playing a crucial role in building up the number of beneficiaries.

This rightly prompted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to withdraw from the agreement and make the Bangla Government entirely responsible for the health insurance scheme. In terms of department, the scheme is run by the Health and Family Welfare Department.

Not only is the State entirely responsible for the scheme now, it has also increased the total number of beneficiary families to 1.5 crore, thus beating the Centre-set target by 28 lakh. There were already 54.76 lakh Swasthya Sathi beneficiary families in Bangla.

This has made the Bangla Government the first State Government to have so many families enlisted under a government health insurance scheme.

With the number of families increasing to 1.5 crore, the number of individual beneficiaries has now increased to about 7.5 crore. To pay the entire premium for these new families, the State Government would be spending more than Rs 850 crore additionally.

The benefits of Swasthya Sathi are available at 1,300 hospitals (including 745 private ones) registered under the scheme.

Another facility under the scheme, as part of the State Government’s efforts for the empowerment of women, is the providing of Swasthya Sathi smart cards to female members of the beneficiary families.

To know all the details regarding Swasthya Sathi, including how to get the smart cards, contact the nearest BDO or municipality office, or call the toll-free number, 1800 345 5384, or visit the website, swasthyasathi.gov.in.

 

Source: Bartaman

 

File Photo

Equal respect to all languages by Bangla Govt

The Trinamool Congress-led Bangla Government, as a policy, gives equal respect to all languages. The government has given several languages the status of official language to give them credibility and make people aware of them.

Last year, the West Bengal Official Language (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018 was passed to make Kamtapuri, Rajbongshi and Kurmali official State languages. Earlier, Kurukh had achieved the status through the West Bengal Official Language (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

The Ol-Chiki script is widely promoted by the government as the medium for writing the Santhali language. Santhali-speaking students can now write their State board secondary and higher secondary exams in the Ol-Chiki script.

Both Santhali and Urdu were introduced as subjects in the State Eligibility Test (SET) conducted by the WBCSC in 2015.

At the undergraduate level, Arabic is being taught in 42 colleges, Nepali in 10 colleges, Persian in three colleges (under the University of Calcutta), Tibetan in one college (Darjeeling Government College, under North Bengal University).

Hindi-medium general degree colleges have been set up in Banarhat (Jalpaiguri district), Asansol (Paschim Bardhaman) and Hatighisha (Darjeeling district).

At the postgraduate level, Arabic is being taught in 10 universities, Nepali at North Bengal University and Tamil at the University of Calcutta.

File Image

 

Section of political parties, groups spreading hatred: Mamata Banerjee

Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on February 20 said a section of political parties and groups were indulging in rumour mongering and spreading hatred with their “dangerous statements”.

“One section of political parties/groups along with people holding constitutional positions (are) indulging in rumour mongering, spreading hatred with dangerous statements,” she said in a tweet.

“Even journalists not spared. This is shameless politics. What levels of polluted politics have we descended to?”  she said.

She also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of fomenting communal tension in the wake of the terror assault at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. She said, “Only they are nationalists and rest of us are anti-nationals? We have always maintained that we are all united.”