ADB loan push for state corridor

ADB loan push for state corridor

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

The Mamata Banerjee government has got another big boost before the chief minister’s London visit on July.

The screening committee of the Department of Economic Affairs under the union Finance Ministry has cleared loan approval of receiving $500 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan to the West Bengal government for setting up the 231 km long North South corridor from East Midnapore to Murshidabad that will cross six districts and move parallel to NH-34.

This is the highest amount of ADB loan granted for any ADB-assisted single project in the country. The total cost of the project, to be executed by the West Bengal Highway Development Corporation Limited (WBHDCL) is estimated as Rs 4,696 crore.

The corridor would help to remove the critical bottlenecks in freight movement not only from the northern parts of the state and north eastern states of the country but also from the neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Nepal to Haldia and Paradeep.

About the corridor

According to the plan, the corridor will run across six districts on the western side of the Ganges parallel to NH-34 and would serve at least 40% of the total population of the state, connecting a 231 km stretch from Mechogram near Haldia in East Midnapore to Morgram near Jangipur in Murshidabad.

The corridor will connect the important national highways of NH-6, NH-2, NH-60 and NH-34. The corridor will also reduce travel distance of Morgramm – Haldia port for about 60 km and will reduce about three hours of travel time in comparison to NH-34.

Kharagpur and the south west part of the country will get shorter connectivity to north east in addition to the faster connectivity to Haldia from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and the north eastern states along with Nepal and Bhutan.

The story was originally published in The Times of India on 10 June, 2015

Accident insurance scheme for self-help groups started in Bengal

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

An accident insurance scheme for self-help groups (SHGs) has been started in West Bengal. The implementation of the scheme has begun with the district of Purulia. It is to be extended to the district of Nadia, and in around a month, to the rest of the State. An additional 2% subsidy on interest against loans taken by the SHGs has also been announced.

About the scheme

The accident insurance scheme for the SHGs, administered by West Bengal Swarojgar Corporation Limited, has been made applicable to all members aged 18 to 60 years. The compensation for accident-related deaths has been settled at Rs 1 lakh. This compensation amount is also applicable to those who fall in the categories of total permanent disability, partial permanent disability and temporary total disability, as per an announcement by the Department of Self-Help Group & Self-Employment.

Rs 40,000 has been earmarked for accident-linked treatment and surgery. For conducting the last rites of accident victims, a maximum of Rs 2,500 would be given. To compensate a person for the wage loss suffered as a result of an accident, Rs 100 per day would be paid for a maximum period of 30 days.

Loans taken by the SHGs from banks carry an interest of 11%. Of this 11%, till now, 7% used to be paid by the State Government in the form of subsidy. Therefore, SHGs had to pay 4% of the interest. Now, the State has decided to pay an additional 2% of the interest, to lower the burden on the SHGs. Hence, from now on, the SHGs would have to pay only 2% of the interest.

As of now, this new subsidy scheme would benefit those SHGs that had applied for loans from April 2014 onwards. However, efforts are on to extend this subsidy to those groups too that have been paying their interests from earlier.

According to the State Government, more than 50 lakh members from the almost 5 lakh SHGs would be benefited by all the above-mentioned measures.

Image via Milaap.org

Projects worth Rs 91000 Cr started in Bengal in 2015: Amit Mitra

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

Rejecting the opposition’s allegations of deteriorating and slow industrial growth in the state, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra Monday said projects worth Rs 91,230 crore have been started in the four months of 2015.

Of the total projects initiated, Rs 32,000 crore is in power sector and Rs 47,000 crore in manufacturing and transport, Mitra informed the Assembly during his reply for approval of grants for Commerce and Industry department.

The projects had started within four months of the Global Bengal Summit where MoUs worth Rs 2.34 lakh crore were signed, he added.

Informing the House on the ongoing previously announced projects, he said 435 industrial projects had been either implemented or under implementation.

He added that 224 investment proposals are in the pipeline, entailing an investment of Rs 1.14 lakh crore.

Opposition members of the House had leveled allegations of slow industrial progress under the current government, contradicting industrial output data besides charging the government of being a mute spectator to closing of jute mills and tea gardens, among others.

Bengal taking steps to improve the quality of mid-day meals for school students

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

The West Bengal Government is taking steps to improve the quality of Mid-Day Meal (MDM) provided to the school students.

Replying to a debate in support of the budgetary grant for his department, state’s School Education Minister Dr Partha Chatterjee said the Government was taking steps to check the quality of rice used by engaging officials of the food and supplies department.

Once the food was cooked, it would be tasted and checked by the cook and a teacher after which it will be offered to the students, he said, adding the chefs will also be trained in cooking and hygiene.

Dr Chatterjee said his department was setting up 969 dining halls at a cost of Rs 29 crore for students across the state. The utensils in which the food was served and cooked will also be changed for which a proposal has been sent to the Finance ministry for approval of funds.

Incidentally, in 2014, West Bengal secured 3rd rank among the states in implementing the midday meal scheme in schools across the state.

97% of the students enrolled in various schools in West Bengal are the beneficiaries of the scheme, a Central government report revealed, which comes to a whooping 1,22,98,419 students in all. According to a similar survey done in 2010-11, West Bengal was at the 12th position.

Major boost to leather industry in Bengal

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

International shoe brands Clarks, Hush Puppies and Caterpillar will soon be manufactured in Bengal with Farida Group from Chennai, the country’s largest footwear company, setting up a unit at Gosaipur in South Dinajpur, which will churn out 3,000 pairs of branded shoes a day.

Major boost to leather industry

Announcing the entry of three leather majors into Bengal, State Finance Minister Amit Mitra pitched it as a major boost to the leather industry here.

Dr Mitra also assured industry members present at the meeting with him that he would look into the issue of VAT refund on exported leather.

Employment generation

Leather Training Institute, run by Indian Leather Products Association (ILPA) and the state technical education department, are also set to sign a memorandum of understanding to train 5,000 people over the next year and a half. Till now, LTI had trained only 300 people. Following the training, the men will be absorbed in leather units.

Investments pouring in

Farida Group chairman Rafeeque Ahmed said that the unit would begin commercial production by the end of the year. When the unit begins full-fledged operation, it will have a 3,000-strong, all-women workforce.

Two other shoe majors—UP-based Super House and Allana Sons from Mumbai—are also in the process of finalizing investment in the state.

Hinduja praises WB CM’s industry initiatives

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

Gopichand Hinduja has heaped praise on West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee for her determination to attract industry in Bengal.

In an interview to a popular daily, he said WB CM “is trying hard to attract industry and investment to her state.”

“She is a good leader and has a clean image. I am certain she will become Chief Minister again after this term ends. Her intentions are clear – she wants to attract industry into Bengal,” he added.

Hinduja, who has a strong foothold in Bengal with the presence of Ashok Leyland, Hinduja Leyland finance and IndusInd Bank, had encouraging words for finance minister Dr Amit Mitra as well. “The finance minister knows how reforms can benefit the state,” he said.

“Mamata Banerjee is one of India’s prominent political leaders. Prime Minister David Cameron must meet her,” he added.

In fact, WB CM could become the first high level politician from India to meet David Cameron after his recent reelection as Britain’s PM.

WB CM will be in UK from July 26-30. This will be her second foreign visit as the chief minister of Bengal.

KMC readies for battle against malaria and dengue

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

Even before the monsoon arrived in the city, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities have chalked out a detailed public awareness campaign to fight mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and malaria.

“July and August record the highest rainfall in Kolkata every year and heavy monsoon gives possible rise to breeding of mosquito larvae that in course might cause spread of diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya. Our fight is to prevent such rise through mass awareness and hence the initiative,” Atin Ghosh, member, mayor-in-council (health), told.

Mass awareness programme

KMC’s mass awareness campaign against spread of dengue and malaria would include dos and don’ts to prevent breeding of mosquito larvae across the city.

Civic officials plan an extensive round-the-year awareness campaign and have also scheduled food and water safety campaign in the festive months from October to December.

“During these three months, Hindus, Muslims and Christians have festivals and with the celebrations seeing additional footfalls, they create an opportunity for selling food, coloured water, and soft drinks, among others. We only want to sensitise the masses about the food safety norms, which needs to be followed while purchasing food products during the festivities,” a senior doctor with KMC’s health department said.

Food safety norms

KMC will also put up over 4,000 billboards on the streets of Kolkata as part of the awareness campaign on food safety norms. According to sources, KMC will be spending over lakh to make consumers and sellers aware about the food safety norms in context of the recent Maggi controversy.

“Solid waste management workers collecting garbage from every doorstep will reach out with handouts in four different languages – English, Hindi, Bengali and Urdu,” the MMiC added. KMC and the Consumer Affairs department are jointly launching three tableaus that will roam around the city from Monday with messages on awareness against food and water borne diseases.

According to the awareness calendar, January to March is scheduled for awareness on tuberculosis, which is still a killer disease in Kolkata.

Bengal selects transgender activist to head development board for the third sex

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

Just days after being appointed the first transgender principal of a college in India -perhaps even the world –Mx Manabi Bandopadhyay has been made vice-chairman of the State’s Transgender Development Board.

The 13-member panel is headed by Dr Sashi Panja, Minister of State for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare. Transgender representatives, NGOs working with the community and two officials from the minister’s department will make up the committee.

Manabi, who recently took over as principal of Krishnanagar Women’s College, will have her first meeting with Dr Panja on June 11.

Issues related to sex reassignment surgery (SRS) will be one of the priorities of the committee. “We’ve spoken to a team of doctors so that SRS can be started in all government hospitals. Carrying out census of the community, issuing ID cards and starting reservations, as laid down by the Supreme Court, are on the cards,“ said Dr Panja.

While Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have their own transgender welfare boards, Bengal is the first state to have a transgender development board -the focus is on “development” and not just “welfare”.

Industrial units in Bengal to get faster green nod

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

The State Environment department has made the green clearance process for new industrial units simpler and faster. Now, a unit of the green range category will receive environment clearance within 15 days and those falling in the red category within a maximum of 60 days.

According to guidelines, industrial units in the country are categorized as green, orange and red, depending on the levels of pollution they generate. Those under the red category produce the maximum pollution and the green ones the least.

Till now, even the green establishments take at least 120 days to receive environment clearance. “To speed up the process, green-category units will get clearance within 15 days, orange units in 30 days and red category units, which will need stricter inspection than the others, a maximum of 60 days. Applications can be submitted online and the sanction will also be given online, after a physical inspection. This will help the units come up faster in the state.

The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), along with the forest department, is also working on a plantation programme in the industrial towns of Asansol and Haldia and in Jangalmahal districts, to increase the green cover there. For that, areas most affected due to sponge iron units have been identified.

Bengal striding ahead in higher education sector

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

During the first three years of the Trinamool Government, the spending by all departments has been 50 to 80% higher that the spending during the last three years of the Left Front Government.

This stupendous performance for three consecutive years was never achieved by the Left Front Government. The reason for this performance can be easily gauged by examining the money spent by the Trinamool Government during the last four financial years.

Higher plan expenditure

The plan expenditure during the last year of the Left Front Government, that is, 2010-11, was Rs 11,838 crore. The plan expenditure for 2015-16 has been pegged at Rs 49,507 crore, an increase of 4.18 times. The same for 2014-15 was 3.6 times more. Hence, it is obvious that the Trinamool Government is spending much more on various projects, and the results are there for all to see.

The highest amount to be spent during 2015-16, as per the plan expenditure numbers, would be in the education sector – 18.71% of the total expenditure. For panchayat and rural development, the spend has been pegged at 17.31% of the Budget.

Budget: Four-five times that of the Left Front

For 2015-16, the expenditure in school, higher education and vocational education has been kept at Rs 9270,97,00,000. The amount spent under the same head during the last year of the Left Front Government (2010-11) was Rs 1885,54,00,000. Thus there is an increase of 4.92 times

During 2014-15, the amount was Rs 7143,27,00,000, which is 3.8 times that of 2010-11

Since the spending has been four to five times more, consequently, it can be conveniently assumed that the development in the relevant sector has also been four to five times more

Education: Achievements

The comparative quantitative achievements of the Trinamool Government and the Left Front Government in the education sector

Universities: 13, from 1947-2011, and 13, from 2010-11 to January 2014) (6 state-aided and 7, private)

ITI colleges: 80, from 1947-2011, and 43, from 2010-11 to January 2014) (92 more planned during 2015-16)

Polytechnic colleges: 62, from 1947-2011, and 34, from 2010-11 to January 2014) (32 more planned during 2015-16)

Government colleges: 36, from 1947-2011, and 40, from 2010-11 to January 2014

Health Districts and district hospitals: This is also a concept introduced by the Trinamool Government – 8 of each

Higher primary schools: 497, from 1947-2011, and 3008, from 2010-11 to January 2014

Primary schools: 184, from 1947-2011, and more than 400, from 2010-11 to January 2014

Model English schools: None earlier; 12, from 2010-11 to January 2014) (22 more planned during 2015-16)