The Bangla Government has decided to replace all wooden bridges older than 30 years across the State with concrete ones, at a total cost of Rs 760 crore.
Six districts would be covered in the first phase – Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Bankura and Birbhum.
Of the 3,500 bridges tested, 1,000 were found to be 40 to 50 years old. In the first phase, covering the above-mentioned six districts, 380 of the 1,000 bridges would be concretised.
Source: Aajkaal
The department of Water Resources Investigation has undertaken several projects for water conservation and creation of minor irrigation facilities throughout the State.
Let us have a look at some of them:
Jal Dharo Jal Bharo Abhiyan
The Jal Dharo Jal Bharo Scheme is being implemented across Bengal since 2011 through a campaign called Jal Dharo Jal Bharo Abhiyan. This scheme, including the name, is a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
During the last financial year (2017-18), till December 31, 31,165 water bodies and water detention structures have been created, out of which 5,937 have been created by WRI&D Department, 25,228 in collaboration with Panchayats and Rural Development Department.
From 2011 to December 31, 2017, a total of 2,27,101 water bodies and water detention structures have been created and renovated.
Expansion of minor irrigation facilities
Minor irrigation (MI) facilities have been vastly increased. By the installation and revival of 1,143 different types of irrigation schemes, viz. deep and shallow tube-wells, river-lift irrigation facilities, water harvesting tanks, surface flow minor irrigation schemes (SFMIS), check dams, solar power-operated minor irrigation schemes, etc., 36,351 hectares of irrigation potential has been created and revived.
The irrigation schemes have been implemented under different programmes, like Jalatirtha, West Bengal Accelerated Development of Minor Irrigation Project (WBADMIP – in collaboration with World Bank), Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RFID – in collaboration with NABARD), Core Sector, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), etc.
Minor irrigation projects in arid districts
In the arid districts of Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur, 351 minor irrigation programmes, with an irrigation potential of 11,708 hectares, have been completed under different projects to collect and conserve rainwater. Among the 351 are 48 check dams and 104 other water detention structures, creating an irrigation potential of 6,932 hectares.
Solar energy in minor irrigation projects
To promote the use of eco-friendly solar energy for power generation, 99 solar power-operated minor irrigation schemes, using sprinklers, tube-wells, pump-dug wells, etc., have been completed creating an irrigation potential of 1,108 hectares during 2017-18, up to December 31, 2017.
Continuing with the extensive development of the Jangalmahal region, spread over the western districts, the State Government has decided to construct permanent concrete bridges there.
There are many small streams in the region which can be crossed easily during the dry season but which become impossible to cross during the rainy season, when these streams and small rivers become filled or are often in full spate. Some of these are traversable over bridges, but only wooden ones.
Permanent concrete bridges thus would be a great boon for the people of the region during these times.
A total of 935 wooden bridges have been identified for replacement by concrete bridges. In the first phase, 534 would be built. The testing of soil for constructing 100 more is complete.
Construction would start with bridges in the districts of Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram. A few such bridges would be built in Paschim Bardhaman and Birbhum too.
The Irrigation Department would be building the bridges and the money would be spent from a special fund. The full work is scheduled to be completed within three years.
The Bengal Government is seeing a huge response to its scheme, Rupashree, rolled out across the State as recently as April 1 this year. The Government has received nearly 70,000 applications, of which it has accepted more than 47,233, sanctioning a total amount of more than Rs 118 crore.
The data is was provided by the Women and Child Development & Social Welfare Department, which is implementing the project.
The scheme, a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, provides a one-time financial assistance of Rs 25,000 to the family of a girl at the time of her marriage, if her family income is less than Rs 1.5 lakh per year.
Murshidabad tops in all the categories – number of applications received, disbursed (or, accepted) and the amount sanctioned. Till July 9, the numbers were 9237, 5288 and Rs 13.22 crore, respectively.
Purulia, South 24 Parganas and Paschim Medinipur are at numbers two, three and four, respectively. The numbers for Purulia are 5870, 5183 and Rs 12,95,75,000, for South 24 Parganas are 5460, 4640 and Rs 11.6 crore, and for Paschim Medinipur are 5274, 4026 and Rs 1 crore.
The State Government has allotted Rs 1,500 crore for the scheme and around 6 lakh families in all are expected be benefitted. More than 2,000 applications on an average are being received every day.
Source: Millennium Post
With Bengal witnessing a nine-fold increase in the production of bivoltine silk in the past seven years, the State Government is targeting to extend the cultivation of raw silk on a new area of 1,620 acres during the 2018-19 fiscal.
During the 2017-18 fiscal, the area of plantation was increased by 1,733 acres and it resulted in an yield of 2,540 metric tonne (MT) of mulberry raw silk, 34.50 MT of tasar raw silk, 2.60 MT of eri raw silk and 185 kg of muga raw silk. Infrastructure, including 898 rearing houses, 147 vermi-compost sheds and 10 cocoon storage buildings were developed to extend support to silk farmers during 2017-18.
The State Agriculture Minister has said that the production targets for raw silk for 2018-19 are 2,575 MT mulberry, 46 MT tasar, 6 MT eri and 400 kg muga.
Of the 1,620 acres of land that will be brought under sericulture during 2018-19, 1,000 acres will be for mulberry, 400 acres for tasar, 70 acres for muga and 150 acres for eri.
Large areas of land in the districts including Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura and Birbhum (together comprising the region of Jangalmahal) were brought under tasar cultivation during 2017-18, from which 18,040 people benefitted.
It may be mentioned that the production of bivoltine silk was 7.16 MT during 2012-13, which has gone up to 36 MT during 2017-18.
The State Agriculture Department will be organising a symposium, in which officials of agriculture, horticulture and sericulture sections will be present. Representative of silk-farmers will also be attending the symposium.
Source: Millennium Post
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Soon, Haringhata Meat, a unit of the State Government’s West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation (WBLSDC), would be selling ready-to-eat turkey kebab. A 250 gram pack would cost Rs 180.
Turkey meat is very healthy as well as tasty, but is not widely available. Hence, the decision to sell packaged kebabs was taken.
For the last few months, WBLSDC, through its Kaviar chain of takeaway meat shops, has been selling dressed turkey meat, priced at Rs 510 per kilogram.
The kebab packs would be sold at the 10 outlets of Haringhata Meat as well as in 240 other outlets across the State. They would also be available online at Big Basket and Delybazar, with whom Haringhata Meat has agreements.
In Bengal, turkey is raised mostly in the districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Hooghly.
Source: Bartaman
The Bengal Government has taken yet another step for irrigation in places which are naturally dry. Around 11,000 people will be inducted as Dhara Sevaks under the Ushar Mukti Scheme in six districts, mainly in convergence with the 100 Days’ Work Scheme.
These 11,000 people will be taking up irrigational work in the districts of Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Paschim Bardhaman and Birbhum. These districts get little rainfall; hence unavailability of proper water resources hampers agricultural work.
It has been planned to make watersheds using the rivers Ajay, Damodar, Mayurakshi, Kansabati and Subarnarekha. Rainwater will also be harvested in these watersheds.
The State Government has planned to build around 105 micro-watersheds which will help in irrigating around 84,000 hectares.
Source: Bartaman
Bengal’s Cooch Behar district has been adjudged as one of the best districts in terms of performance under MGNREGA, better known as the 100 Days’ Work Scheme.
It was among the six districts from the State selected by the Centre for a presentation by their district magistrates, among the top-performing districts under MGNREGA in the country. Cooch Behar is also doing well in livelihood programmes.
The other five are Jhargram, Bankura, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Jalpaiguri.
It may be mentioned that Bengal generated a total of 2821.72 man-days, which is 13.94 per cent of the total number of man-days covering all the states. With respect to the expenditure incurred (as a result of the payments for the work done, mostly by people in the rural regions of the state), the amount is Rs 7,35,231.98 lakh, which is 13.06 per cent of the total expenditure of all the states.
Source: Millennium Post
All India Trinamool Youth Congress Chairperson Abhishek Banerjee addressed a public rally at Khandarui in Dantan-2 block in the district of Paschim Medinipur.
He hit out at the Opposition, saying the CPI(M), BJP and Congress have made an alliance which is bereft of ideology, just to stop the developmental activities taken up by the Trinamool Congress Government. However, the people of the State would show the door to this alliance, he said, adding that opposing Mamata Banerjee is akin to opposing development.
He also said that the BJP will not be able to return to power at the Centre in 2019. Abhishek said, BJP should concentrate on how to win Delhi, and then only turn its attention to Bengal.
Abhishek Banerjee pointed out that many members of the CPI(M) are now campaigning for the saffron party; he also reminded people about the acts of violence committed by the CPI(M) in Nandigram, in Jangalmahal and in many other places. He also said that even after enjoying power for 34 years, the CPI(M) did not bring about any development for Bengal.
Abhishek said the people living in rural areas know what the Trinamool Congress has done for the development of villages for the last five years.
Source: Aajkal
Over the last six-and-a-half years, the Trinamool Congress Government has undertaken large-scale developmental activities in Paschim Medinipur.
Tabulated below are the important developments:
Kanyashree: More than 3.13 lakh girls brought under the ambit of the Kanyashree Scheme
Khadya Sathi: As part of the scheme, almost 96% of the eligible population of Howrah (about 46.6 lakh) being given foodgrains at Rs 2 per kg (or at half the market price)
Sabar Ghare Alo: Through implementation of Sabar Ghare Alo Scheme, 100% rural electrification achieved
Projects completed: Public Health Engineering Department has completed 68 projects at a cost of about Rs 204 crore
রাজ্য ও অন্যান্য জেলার সাথে তাল মিলিয়ে অভূতপূর্ব উন্নয়ন ঘটেছে পশ্চিম মেদিনীপুর জেলায়।
এই জেলায়, ৩ লক্ষ ১৩ হাজারেরও বেশি ছাত্রী ‘কন্যাশ্রী’র আওতায় এসেছে।
এই জেলার ১০০% যোগ্য মানুষকে (প্রায় ৪৬ লক্ষ ৬০ হাজারেরও বেশি মানুষকে), ২/- টাকা কেজি দরে (অথবা বাজার দরের অর্দেক দামে) খাদ্যশস্য দেওয়া হচ্ছে- যা জেলার মোট জনসংখ্যার প্রায় ৯৬%।
সমগ্র জেলায় ‘সবার ঘরে আলো’ প্রকল্পে ১০০% গ্রামীণ বৈদ্যুতিকরণের কাজ সম্পন্ন হয়েছে।
বিগত সাড়ে ৬ বছরে, ১০৮টি জলপ্রকল্পের কাজ শুরু হয়েছে, এর মধ্যে প্রায় ২০৪ কোটি টাকা ব্যয়ে ৬৮টির কাজ সমাপ্ত হয়েছে। এর ফলে, জেলার প্রচুর মানুষ উপকৃত হচ্ছেন।বাকী জলপ্রকল্পগুলির কাজ শীঘ্রই সমাপ্ত হবে।
