The State Police wants to introduce more modern policing methods. Towards that end, it has planned to completely re-do its website as well as remodel its social media approach.
The website is being completely overhauled. The various district police administrations as well as the State’s railway police administrations will be linked to the website. All information will be updated, including important cases solved and the list of most wanted criminals.
As for social media (Facebook and Twitter especially), the plan is to regularly post updates regarding various activities and fight fake news actively. The latter is becoming increasingly important in the field of cyber-policing.
The idea is also to examine the ways Kolkata Police has successfully built up a large following on its social media accounts and implement certain relevant ideas.
Children have been an area of special focus for the Trinamool Congress Government. Under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bengal has been among the best performers in terms of infant mortality rate, and under-5 mortality rate, and in institutional delivery too.
The State Government has a comprehensive maternal leave structure. However, the importance of fathers during the phase of the birth of a child and during the period following that has been recognised too by the Government.
Following the initiative of Mamata Banerjee, the Bengal Government has shown the way to other States by instituting paternity-cum-child care leave in 2016. A cumulative period of 30 days is granted for the purpose for all State Government employees, Panchayat & other Local Bodies, Boards, sponsored/non-Govt aided Schools and Colleges, State-aided Universities & Companies, Corporations, Undertakings, etc.
In May 2011, the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, established efficient governance in West Bengal, with the Government of Maa, Mati, Manush. On May 27, 2016, through a historic verdict, the government was sworn in for the second time in a row.
On the seventh anniversary of that historic day, the State Government came out with a book enlisting all the work done by various departments in the last seven years. The book was released by the Chief Minister during the administrative review meeting at Howrah on June 7, 2018.
In the last seven years, Bengal has witnessed phenomenal growth in development and prosperity. Nearly 90% of the State’s population has benefited from various public services. 90% of the State’s population is provided with food grains at a subsidised rate, under the ‘Khadya Sathi’ scheme. Apart from this, the Government has also taken initiatives such as ‘Sabujshree’, ‘Kanyashree’, ‘Sikshashree’, ‘Sabuj Sathi’, ‘Sishu Sathi’, ‘Yuvashree’, ‘Rupashree’, ‘Manabik’, and ‘Samabyathi’, to name just a few.
These schemes have made available a plethora of services to all citizens, including members of scheduled castes, tribes, minorities, and OBCs.
During one of her district tours in 2015, a young boy had asked West Bengal Chief Mamata Banerjee: “I study in school; you have started the Kanyashree scholarship for girls, why is there no scheme for boys?”
This had planted a seed in her head. The thought has at last led to a happy conclusion: ‘Sabuj Sathi’ – a project wherein students of classes IX to XII are given bicycles by the State Government.
This beautiful name for the project came to the Chief Minister’s mind while on her way from Darjeeling to Bagdogra Airport. The rain-drenched sylvan mountains piqued her creativity; she began penning poems for children. Thus was born the name ‘Sabuj Sathi’ – ‘Sabuj’, the word for ‘green’ or environment-friendly and ‘Sathi’ means ‘companion’, hence ‘Sabuj Sathi’ or ‘environemnt-friendly companion.’
The Chief Minister has created the logo for the project as well. It consists of a young boy running, with two spinning bicycle wheels alongside his legs. 70 lakh cycles have been distributed so far. The scheme also bagged an award for e-governance from the Centre.
For more details, visit the website for the scheme.
Coming down heavily on the BJP, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the soaring prices of essential commodities will result in the middle-class being badly hit which will, in turn, become a question of their basic sustenance.
“The hike in fuel price will affect the kitchen while the rise in the price of petrol and diesel will hit the transport sector badly,” she told newsmen on Saturday. The Chief Minister also said that the price of cooking gas has skyrocketed without any rhyme or reason.
“Things are going beyond the reach of the middle-class. How can they make their both ends meet? How can they sustain,” she said and added: “But the Centre is not taking any measure to bring down the prices of petrol and diesel and that of the cooking gas.”
Mamata Banerjee has said over and again that the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel are affecting the transport sector badly. “The Centre is totally indifferent towards this problem faced by the common people,” she maintained.
In May 2011, the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, established efficient governance in Bengal, with the Government of Maa, Mati, Manush. On May 27, 2016, through a historic verdict, the Government was sworn in for the second time in a row.
On the anniversary of this historic day, the Government of Maa, Mati, Manush rededicates itself to the service of people.
In the last seven years, Bengal has witnessed phenomenal growth in development and prosperity. Today, due to the unfaltering efforts of the State Government, Bengal ranks number 1 nationally, in multiple spheres.
The present day Government has achieved comprehensive development in multiple sectors including education, health, agriculture, industry, transport, culture etc. The State has set a shining example in maintaining communal harmony.
Bengal is no. 1 in the country with respect to the following:
• Generation of man-days and expenditure under the ‘100 Days’ Work’ scheme
• Construction of rural houses and establishment of rural connectivity
• Sanction of loans for the minorities as well as scholarships for minority students
• Provision of loans for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
• Skill Development
• Ease of Doing Business
• Transparency in work and highest number of contracts allotted via e-tendering
Awards and accolades received by the State:
• The ‘Kanyashree’ scheme of the State conferred with the 1st prize in the United Nations Public Service Award category
• The State’s ‘Kanyashree’ scheme conferred with the ‘National e-governance Award’
• The significant role of gram panchayats, with respect to Decentralised Planning, awarded by the Government of India
• ‘Skoch Smart Governance Award’, in the sphere of health services, for the innovative practices of ‘Fair Price Medicine Shop’, ‘Diagnostic Centre’, as well as for the provision of ‘Critical Care Facility’ below the district level
• ‘Krishi Karman’ award in agriculture for 5 consecutive years
• Declared as the ‘Best State’ at the ‘All India Skill Competition’ for 3 years
• ‘Tantuja’ conferred with National Award for ‘Marketing in Handloom Products’ and appreciated by ‘NITI Aayog’
• Award by ‘IPPAI’ for the electrification of rural households
• ‘Skoch Smart Governance Award’ in the labour sector
• 6 municipalities of the State honoured with the ‘International C-40 Award’ for solid waste management
• Received the first prize for ‘Chhau Dance’ of Bengal the Republic Day Parade in one year, while bagging the first prize for tableau of ‘Bauls of Bengal’ in another year
• CSI-Nihilent Award for i-Budget and e-Governance. Bengal is the first State to introduce online payment through e-Kuber of RBI and the Human Resource Management System
As we complete a journey of seven years, we pledge anew to serve the people of the State to ensure holistic development, with unwavering passion.
In May 2011, the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, established efficient governance in West Bengal, with the Government of Maa, Mati, Manush. On May 27, 2016, through a historic verdict, the government was sworn in for the second time in a row.
On the anniversary of this historic day, the Government of Maa, Mati, Manush rededicates itself to the service of people.
In the last seven years, Bengal has witnessed phenomenal growth in development and prosperity. Nearly 90% of the State’s population has benefited from various public services. 90% of the State’s population is provided with food grains at a subsidised rate, under the ‘Khadya Sathi’ scheme. Apart from this, the Government has also taken initiatives such as ‘Sabujshree’, ‘Kanyashree’, ‘Sikshashree’, ‘Sabuj Sathi’, ‘Sishu Sathi’, ‘Yuvashree’, ‘Rupashree’, ‘Manabik’, and ‘Samabyathi’, to name just a few.
These schemes have made available a plethora of services to all citizens, including members of scheduled castes, tribes, minorities, and OBCs.
As we complete a journey of seven years, we pledge anew to serve the people of the State to ensure holistic development, with unwavering passion.
Glimpses of the progress achieved in seven years:
• The average family income of the farmers of the State has undergone a three-fold increase
• Over 90 lakh individuals have secured employment, 144 crore man-days have been generated and the unemployment rate has fallen by almost 40%
• The healthcare budget has been increased by 6 times. 42 super-speciality hospitals have been constructed, and free treatment, diagnosis and medicines, in all government hospitals, have been facilitated
• 22 universities, 48 colleges, 155 ITIs and 81 polytechnics have been established
• As compared to 2011, the expenditure on agriculture and its allied sectors has grown by 7 times
• The budgetary outlay for minority development has been raised by 8 times and almost 1.71 crore minority students have been provided with scholarships worth approximately Rs 4900 crore
• Almost 26,000 km of rural roads have been constructed/renovated and the construction/renovation of another 13,000 km of roads has been initiated
• Homestay facility in the tourism sector of the state has grown by 30%, which has resulted in the employment of a substantial number of people
• Financial assistance has been extended to 18,000 clubs for the development of sports infrastructure
• The quarter final, semi final and final matches of FIFA Under-17 World Cup were successfully organised, thereby winning the commendation of the whole world
• The revenue collection of the State has escalated by almost 2.5 times
• The average deficit, in terms of SGST collection all over the country, is 18%. On the other hand, Bengal, after recovering its 33% deficit, was left with a surplus of 3%
Mamata Banerjee’s emphasis on grassroots upliftment has been critical to the flourishing Bengal model of development.
Economic development has different connotations for different classes of people. For the poor and the underprivileged, it means good roads and painless travel to the remote village where he lives, free education in his vicinity, easily accessible low-cost health services in his neighbourhood and, of course, two square meals a day. If these are provided, most among them will agree that the incumbent Government is serious about development. Indeed, the poor are easy to gratify.
The more privileged have different aspirations and so are their standards of judging good development. To climb up the ladder of success, they need the latest conveniences and opportunities around them – giant corporate houses, premier educational institutions, five-star hospitals, busy airports, jazzy shopping malls, clubs, golf courses – in short, a life commensurate with modern living and comforts, a life as lived in the richer parts of our planet. With the world getting increasingly globalised, blown-up lifestyles from distant lands are being forced on the privileged Indian, alienating him from the vast underprivileged majority. A dichotomous shining India is created by the side of the less radiant traditional Bharat. Over the years, as social and economic inequalities have increased, the dichotomy has become stronger. As a result, the divergence between the notions of development as envisaged by the rich and the poor is also getting enlarged.
The government in power, therefore, has a choice problem – it has to decide how much attention is to be given to each notion of development. For Mamata Banerjee, however, the choice was obvious. Ever since she assumed power, her government has devoted its primary attention to the idea of development as perceived by the underprivileged. As a consequence, the poor are unanimous in their opinion that the Government cares about them. It is not merely a question of distributing benefits. It is a process of giving the poor a kind of respect and dignity which was not there before.
Here are some examples. In the present regime, a kid from a poor household going to a government-aided school receives a package of goodies from the authorities which increases his incentive to attend school. The package includes a new bicycle to ride to school, a pair of shoes to protect the feet from mud and dust, an umbrella to protect the head from the scorching sun and a raincoat to protect the body from getting soaked during a soggy monsoon. What is more, the school building now looks more like a school rather than a god-forsaken warehouse. In a similar vein, a poor pregnant mother gets five thousand rupees from the Government for her first delivery in addition to a travelling allowance which depends on the distance between her residence and the nearest health centre.
There is hardly any mud house in the village. A poor household gets money from the government to build a pucca house and a toilet. Farmers get subsidised seeds, planters get money to grow bananas and other fruits. During a natural calamity, those affected get tarpaulin, food and a temporary shelter. Clean drinking water is provided by newly built tube-wells, one for every five families. And, of course, there are the much talked about achievements of Kanyashree and MGNREGA, which have earned international and national kudos. What is most important is that all these benefits to the poor are distributed irrespective of which political party one supports or which caste or religion one belongs to. Just like the immensely improved roads in the countryside, welfare benefits are there for each eligible citizen to enjoy.
Indeed, development management in Bengal under Mamata Banerjee involved a deep-rooted administrative reform. After Trinamool came to power, governance at the grassroots level was taken away from political entities and handed over to officials like BDOs, SDOs and DMs, who could be directly controlled and made answerable by the top administration. Compared to the earlier system practised by the CPI(M), where the party boss at the local level had the ultimate say, and where the Government official had to wait for his nod before making the slightest move, the new system entailed a fundamental change. In the new system, the bureaucrat has more power and responsibilities but, at the same time, he is always under the scanner of the Chief Minister who, with an inexorable energy, travels from district to district to assess the ground reality with her own eyes.
No other Chief Minister of West Bengal had taken so much pain and workload. As we have already seen, her hard work has paid off in a number of ways. Already, Bengal has been named number one in the country in terms of the ease of doing business.
(Professor Abhirup Sarkar is Professor of Economics, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata)
On the occasion of the seventh anniversary of Trinamool coming to power, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greeted the people Bengal and reiterated her commitment towards working for the betterment of the people.
She posted on her Twitter page: “On May 20, 2011 the first Maa, Mati, Manush Government took oath of office. It has been seven years and we continue to be committed to working for the betterment of the people.”
On May 13, 2011, the people of Bengal gave a historic mandate, ousting the Left Front out of power. Mamata Banerjee took oath as the Chief Minister of Bengal on May 20, 2011 at 1:05 PM. To read more about the historic day, click here.
Shortly before 1 PM, Mamata Banerjee entered the Raj Bhavan. Earlier in the morning, she had visited the Kalighat temple and took blessings of her mother, now late Gayatri Devi. Alighting at the north gate of the Raj Bhavan, she walked in, amidst cheers and slogans from the people waiting outside in thousands.
At 1.05 PM, Mamata Banerjee took oath as the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal. History was created.
Mamata Banerjee takes oath as Bengal CM
Mamata Banerjee and her cabinet took oath in the presence of some 3,000 people that included her party workers and relatives of the victims of violence in Nandigram and Singur. This has perhaps been one of the most crowded swearing-in ceremonies of a chief minister. Along with her, 35 MLAs from Trinamool Congress took oath as ministers of the two-tier ministry. Four of the Trinamool Congress MLAs were sworn in as Ministers of State.
Mamata Banerjee takes oath
Clad in a simple white sari and wearing a tricolor uttariya (long scarf) that has by now become her trade mark, Mamata Banerjee took the oath in Bengali in the name of God, which was administered by Governor M.K. Narayanan.
Some hours earlier, Ms Banerjee had set off from her humble Harish Chatterjee Street house on a journey to change Bengal`s course. Thousands of supporters had already lined the route she would take to Raj Bhavan, holding puja thalis and blowing conch shells. Many were barefoot, as if had come to worship a deity.
In Ms Banerjee’s para, the atmosphere was Puja-like. When she emerged from the door, wearing a crisp off-white saree with a blue zari border, a chant of “Didi…Didi” went up. Her car was ready to take her to Raj Bhavan, but the Iron Lady of Bengal walked into the crowd, much to the dismay of her bodyguards from the Special Security Unit. She touched as many hands as she could, smiled, and folded her hands in humility. Someone passed her a microphone.
At exactly 12.55 PM, the Chief Minister-in-waiting walked into Raj Bhavan. She greeted Governor M K Narayanan and took the sheet of paper she was to read from.
The historic march from Raj Bhavan to Writers’
Trailed by a sea of supporters, Mamata Banerjee walked the 1 km from Raj Bhavan, where she took oath as the first non-Left Chief Minister in 34 years, to Writers’ Building on Friday, May 20, 2011. Euphoric, swelling crowds — nearly 2.5 lakh — thronged the kilometre-long road to Writers’ Buildings. “Democracy has to be with the people,” she said. “I saw the crowds and asked the governor’s permission to walk to Writers’ Buildings.”
Her first day at Writers’ Building
Bureaucrats and security officers escorted Mamata Banerjee up the same flight of stairs along which she had been dragged down in 1993. In the corridor, she suddenly cut her brisk stride and turned towards a balcony. She stood there for a while and waved to the delirious crowd. A bodyguard swiftly crouched before her, hanging on to the low guard rails to protect her from the mad scramble of photojournalists. With a final wave, Ms Banerjee walked off purposefully to the CM`s chamber. It was 4.44pm.
It was from there that Ms Banerjee had been hauled out 17 years ago. Then a firebrand Congress worker, she had been agitating outside former CM Jyoti Basu’s office, insisting he meet a woman who had been allegedly raped by CPM workers. As the police yanked her out, Banerjee swore to set foot in Writers’ Buildings only after the Left was ousted. On the afternoon of 20 May, she kept her vow.
The first Cabinet Meeting
On her first days as chief minister, the people’s leader broke all protocol. She refused a bullet-proof car, declined the privilege of free passage, instructed police to halt her black car at traffic signals, worked in office until 12.35 AM the day she was sworn in.
People greet Mamata Banerjee on 20 May, 2011
After the swearing-in, Mamata Banerjee chaired her first Cabinet meeting at around 5 PM: Singur topped the agenda, then came her first press conference as CM around 8 PM. Then she sat in her office, allotting ministries to her Cabinet colleagues. The CM left office at 12:35 AM on Saturday.
