Month: July 2014

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Chairperson Ms. Mamata Banerjee expressed her disappointment over the General Budget 2014.  On her Facebook page she wrote that the NDA is a Government of the FDI, by the FDI and for the FDI.  She termed the Budget as visionless, missionless and actionless from the angle of the common people.

Following is the text of the post she wrote on her page:

“We heard about a strong and vibrant India before the government came to power. We thought that it will be delivered to provide good governance.

But from the beginning, we are getting disappointed. Only one positive sign of the new government is established in two budgets that they have become a government of the FDI, by the FDI and for the FDI.

Already, there is FDI in the retail. Now FDI is increased to 49% in Defence, and Insurance Sectors. In addition, disinvestment in banking sector is up to 49%.

All these will adversely affect the people of the country.

In our State `Kanyashree` project was launched for the first time with a provision of about Rs 1000 crore. It is really shocking to see that an important scheme for girl child `Beti Bachao, Beti Parao` has been announced with only a meager Rs 100 crore for all states and UTs together. Is it not a mockery?

Again Rs 100 crore has been allocated for the start-up companies for the rural youth. As against about 55 crore of rural youth population in the country, only Rs 100 crore is highly insulting to them.

Even though, West Bengal has tremendous potential for textiles sector, it does not find place among the six new textiles clusters announced in the budget.

West Bengal, even being the largest fruits and vegetables producers in the country, has been denied for Horticulture University announced in the budget.

Even in 100 days' work scheme, where the poor people are involved, not a single paise has been increased in allocation. On the other hand, prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene along with prices of fruits and vegetable and other essential commodities are increasing day by day.

The budget is visionless, missionless and actionless from the angle of the common people. It is not going to stimulate growth and development of the poor.

In both the budgets, it is noticeable that Bengal and so many other states are getting deprived.

The new government has just started functioning with a political vendetta. It is the morning that shows the day.”

The West Bengal Assembly today unanimouslypassed a resolution condemning the Railway Budget for neglecting Bengal. Theresolution also condemned the hike in passenger and freight charges.

Trinamool Congress moved the resolutionagainst the deprivation of West Bengal in the railway budget in the House.

Trinamool Congress, along with Congress andthe Left Front moved resolutions separately under Rule 186 demanding adiscussion on deprivation of Bengal and less allocation of funds for railway projects.

“In their campaign, the BJP had promised `acchedin ane walle hai`. But within a month,the people are realising that good days have really come with 14 per cent hikein passenger fare and 6 per cent hike in freight charges,” Mr Partha Chatterjeesaid. “When Miss Mamata Banerjee wa railways minister there was no fare hike. Rather, theymobilised funds so that no pressure was created on the people,” he added.

State Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra Tuesdaysaid that capital expenditure has increased from Rs 2,225 crore in 2010-11 toRs 7,554 crore in 2013-14.

After placing the West Bengal AppropriationBill 2014,  Mr Mitra said that the state`sown revenue generation which stood at around Rs 21,128 crore in 2010- 11, isslated to grow to Rs 45,414 crore by the end of the current financial year of2014- 15.

The revenue receipt on this count increasedfrom virtually zero from the Left Front regime to Rs 1,283 crore as per theactual figures for 2012- 13,  Rs 1,436crore as the revised estimate figure of 2013- 14 and Rs 1,651 crore as per thebudget estimates of 2014- 15.

According to him the state`s debt to GrossState Domestic Product (GSDP) improved from 39.54% during 2010-11 which is thelast fiscal of the previous Left Front regime to 35.33% in 2013- 14.

“This is a perfect example of how thestate achieved financial improvement during the last three years,” Dr Mitrasaid while giving his reply on the debate on the West Bengal AppropriationBill, 2014 during the extended budget session of the state assembly on Tuesday.

Eight more police stations under KolkataPolice will be carved out of the existing ones that will take the number ofpolice stations in the city to 77, from the present 69.

In the first phase, four police stations – Lake,Amherst Street, Karaya and Maniktala – will be bifurcated. The new policestations that will come into existence are Rabindra Sarobar, Vidyasagar, BondelGate and Kankurgachi. Work for the first phase will start before the Pujas.

In the next phase, four more policestations – Ultadanga, Jadavpur, Haridevpur and Kasba – will be bifurcated andthere will be four new police stations: Belgachhia, Golf Green, Barisha andRajdanga respectively.

Kolkata Police in February this yearstarted four new police stations, Sarsuna, Anandapur, Netaji Nagar andPurbasayer, and had indicated that more police stations will be carved out. Afterthese bifurcations, it will become easier for the police to look after the lawand order situation in large areas.

A meeting of the task force to preventprice rise of essential commodities was held at Nabanna on Monday to discussways to control the price hike. West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee,apprehending a further hike in vegetable prices during the upcoming festiveseason, directed Enforcement Branch (EB) officers to intensify vigil in themarkets.

The price of vegetables usually risesduring the monsoon season but this time the prices have risen constantly in thepast few months. So, if the situation continues, prices may hike further inSeptember-October. Price of vegetables tend to increase during the Pujas.

Apart from monitoring the markets andintensifying vigil, the state government has put a tab on selling potatoes andonions outside Bengal. Ms. Banerjee has urged traders against selling potatoesand onions to the neighbouring states till the prices are controlled, he said.

The government also plans to come up withfew more fair price shops in the city to sell vegetables at cheaper rates. Atpresent, seven such shops have been put up in the KMC-run markets located inNew Market, Behala, Ultadanga, College Street and Gariahat. This apart, vanshave been put up in 20 markets to ferry vegetables at cheaper rates.

The State Government has written to theCentral Government protesting against its policies of stocking potato, onionsand other food materials. The Centre had requested all the states to stockonions. The state feels that such decision this will create a further hike inprice. The govt has requested the Centre to import onions and distribute itevenly among the States.

West Bengal ChiefMinister chaired an administrative meeting at the Vidyasagar Auditorium inChanditala, Hooghly earlier today. She reviewed the status of the developmentalworks undertaken by the government in the district. She also held a publicmeeting at the Janai Training High School Ground.

The Chief Ministerinaugurated a number of projects including a fair price diagnostic centreat the Hooghly District Hospital, a dialysis unit of the Imamabara SadarHospital and a new building of the Red Cross Sanjiban Hospital. She alsoceremonially inaugurated several new roads and link roads.

The Chief Minister laid the foundation stones for different developmental projects and handed over certificates of schemes like Kanyashree,Anandadhara, distributed cycles togirl students, pump sets to farmers, and gave away different grants andloans to the local people.

After the GeneralElections, the Chief Minister had held administrative meetings in North Bengal,North 24 Parganas and Howrah. She will hold similar review meetings in rest ofthe districts before the Durga Puja.