Month: January 2019

The State Government has decided to re-configure the flood management systems in the districts of Howrah, Hooghly and Birbhum in a major way in the earlier part of 2019. This was announced by the Irrigation Minister recently while inaugurating four projects in Amta-2 block, Howrah district.

The three-stage flood management project is going to come up with the help of a financial assistance of Rs 2,600 crore from the World Bank.

A series of short-cut diversion canals are going to be built which would be able to hold 30,000 cubic feet per second (cusec) of water.

The four projects inaugurated by the minister were

600m of riverbank repair of Rupnarayan River in Ghoraberia Chitnan gram panchayat, at a cost of Rs 1,95,55,000

Anti-bank erosion work for short-cut diversion canal in Khalna Kashmali gram panchayat, at a cost of Rs 96.54 lakh

Relaying of 19.9km of pitched roads along the dams on both banks of short-cut diversion canal in Khalna Kashmali gram panchayat, at a cost of Rs 3,94,70,000

Anti-bank erosion work along 500m on left bank of Gaighata Canal in Kushberia gram panchayat, at a cost of Rs 1,65,35,000

Source: Bartaman

Capping an end to the old guard-versus-new debate, Abhishek Banerjee, MP and Trinamool Youth Congress National President, said his primary aim was “to ensure that the old guard of the party who fought with Mamata Banerjee to overthrow the Left regime have a distinct, respected place in the party”.

Abhishek Banerjee said: “I am a foot soldier of Trinamool Congress, and my primary goal has always been to strengthen the party. My aim is also to ensure that the party’s old guard… continues to guide us in our endeavour to serve people of India and Bengal. We are not like BJP, which consciously forgets respected leaders like L K Advani or Murli Manohar Joshi when they are in power at the Centre. TMC believes in inclusive politics and strong internal democracy.”

In his first exclusive interview to TOI, Banerjee spoke on several contentious issues, indicating that even if the BJP top brass singled him out for attack, he would “not get involved in personal abuse or smear campaign”.

The Trinamool MP said he didn’t count the opposition as a threat as long as people who played the game-changer in 2011 stood by the party. “There is no formidable opposition in the state as people of Bengal have seen the dark days during Left regime and the present divisive politics coupled with the draconian policies of BJP. Our main challenge is to ensure better livelihood for the 10 crore people of Bengal, to ensure an inclusive Bengal and to dissuade divisive forces trying to destroy the ethos and ethics of our state,” Banerjee said. “As far as Bengal is concerned, Amit Shah is daydreaming or travelling in wonderland thinking of winning 6 or 23 seats,” he added.

On the repeated personal attacks against him by Mukul Roy, Kailash Vijayvargiya and BJP president Amit Shah, Banerjee said: “We respect ‘freedom of speech’ but not ‘freedom of lies’, which is the specialisation of Shah and Co. I don’t get involved in personal abuse or smear campaign. Disagreement to the Centre’s policies should not be construed as a personal attack.”

Quoting Stewart Stafford’s “Never listen to destructive criticism — it’s only meant to silence you”, Banerjee added: “As any public figure, I’m open to fair criticism, but not canards. Therefore, despite all their false and fallacious propaganda, they have been rejected by the people of Bengal and turned down by various courts.”

Banerjee for the first time broke his silence on several subjects, some personal. “The little free time that I do have, I like spending at home with my family, and especially playing with my daughter. I love to read to keep myself abreast with what’s happening around us. In this digital age, none can be divorced from social media and I am no exception. Particularly my younger colleagues in the party would like to get their clarifications addressed fast and there can’t be a substitute to social media,” he said, adding matter-of-factly that sports would be his second choice if he were to give up his first love, politics.

On the party’s setbacks in the panchayat polls in Jangalmahal, he said: “In panchayat elections, the syndrome of vote is more confined to the personal character of the person contesting than to the party he or she represents. For example, a voter voted for a CPM candidate in the panchayat in his village but the same person casts his vote for Trinamool for gram sabha and zilla parishad. You will see that all 23 zilla parishads and more than 95% of the panchayat samitis have been won by TMC as people know Trinamool is the only party which represents development for one and all in society. And irrespective of an individual’s party affiliation, majority voted for Trinamool, which brought about a significant change in the livelihood of people.”

Banerjee reserved his sharpest pitch for BJP. “BJP, led by Mr Modi, made tall promises before they came to power in 2014. Five years down the line, the country knows where it stands. Be it economic mismanagement in the form of double whammy of demonetisation and a hurriedly-implemented GST, which has almost crippled the economy considering 90% is an informal economy, be it MSME or others or the agrarian and farm distress which has hurt the farmers and the agricultural sector, which almost employs 50% of our populace. On top of that, the culture of religious polarisation is puncturing the social fabric of our country that has always upheld pluralism,” Banerjee said.

 

As reported by Saibal Sen for The Times of India

Central Government data has once again shown that Bangla is the best in terms of performance under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), better known as the 100 Days’ Work Scheme.

On December 31, while giving an answer in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Labour and Employment Minister said that in the financial year 2017-18, in Bangla, 5.58 lakh families got full 100 days of employment under the scheme. This is the highest among the States.

The total for the country is 29.56 lakh. Therefore, about 19 per cent, or almost one-fifth of the families who got work under the 100 Days’ Work Scheme in FY 2017-18 were from Bangla.

This once again shows the success that the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has brought about in Bangla through the effective implementation of various developmental schemes.

Source: Ei Samay

The State Food and Supplies Department has decided to buy seven crore jute bags from jute farmers in Bangla. This is the latest of the State Government’s efforts towards the reviving the jute sector.

The Trinamool Congress Government has taken several steps to help revive and transform the jute sector in Bangla. Trinamool MPs have raised the issue in Parliament too multiple times, urging the Centre to make rules regarding the jute sector, which will help jute farmers in other parts of the country too.

The new order by the Food and Supplies Department mandates the Jute Corporation of India to buy 7 crore jute bags from farmers in the State. For buying rice from farmers, jute bag has been made compulsory.

The target for buying rice has been set at 52 lakh metric tonnes (MT). Of this amount, 46 lakh MT would be bought by the State Government and its agencies, while 6 lakh MT would be bought by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). In case, the DCI cannot buy that amount, the State Government would buy that amount too.

For packing 46 lakh MT, 6.35 crore jute bags are required, and 65 lakh for 6 lakh MT; therefore, 7 crore jute bags for 52 lakh MT of rice.

On the first day of 2019, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the renovated headquarters of the Detective Department of Kolkata Police, located at Lalbazar.

A lot of state-of-the-art equipment has been brought for the Detective Department. These would enable the department to solve many more cases, and solve them quickly. A reception room has also been set up on the ground floor.

The main Cyber Police Station of the State Government, also located at Lalbazar, was also renovated, and it too was inaugurated by the Chief Minister on January 1. With the spate of cyber-crimes, this was a much-needed improvement.

Source: Aajkaal

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s emphasis on the handloom sector has put the government’s handloom brand, Tantuja on a revival path.

Diversification in products and designs to keep pace with recent fashion trends has ensured profit for Tantuja. Importantly, the Puja season has been contributing more than 20 per cent of the total annual sales. Besides sarees, jackets and scarves too are available now.

There are 84 stores of Tantuja across the State. In 2016, it had tied up with a few big e-commerce portals to reach newer markets, including overseas.

During the 2016 Durga Puja season, through the stores, there had been a turnover of Rs 14.5 crore, in 2017, of Rs 18.5 crore and of Rs 25 crore in 2018.

The online sales too during the Puja season have been clocking impressive numbers. While it was Rs 10 crore during the 2017 season, it touched Rs 19 crore in 2019.

According to a senior official of the State Textiles Department, which runs Tantuja, in the 2017-18 fiscal, the brand had a turnover of Rs 205 crore and a profit of Rs 10.26 crore. In contrast, Tantuja had suffered a loss of Rs 12.69 crore in 2010-11 – the last financial year of the Left Front rule in the State.

In 2011-12, the very first financial year of the Trinamool Congress Government, Tantuja made a profit of Rs 69 lakh, according to the managing director of Tantuja.

The prices of products are commensurate with the design and people are getting their money’s worth.

The products are now purchased directly from self-help groups and weavers through camps in various parts of the State and payments are made directly to their bank accounts. This has eliminated the role of middlemen and the designers are getting their due. The showrooms across the state have also witnessed a major facelift.

Source: Millennium Post

The Labour Department, like last year, is organising labour fairs across Bangla, including in Kolkata, from January 1 to 31, 2019, from 2 PM to 7 PM. Entry is free for everyone.

January 2019 is also being celebrated as Samajik Suraksha Month, dedicated to the State Government’s unique Samajik Suraksha (Social Security) Scheme, covering all classes of workers.

Advice related to education, health, provident fund, life insurance and accident insurance, under the Samajik Suraksha Scheme, is being given at the Labour Fairs.

Participating at the fairs are the State Labour Commissionerate, Directorate of Boilers, Employment Exchange, ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation), State Labour Institute, West Bengal Labour Welfare Board, and several government departments.

There will be cultural programmes and sessions on legal advice for labourers during the evenings.

For any information, the toll-free number, 18001030009 can be called. These fairs have already been organised in Kolkata, Serampore, Ranaghat, Diamond Harbour, Uluberia, Chandannagar, Raghunathpur and Asansol.

The places and dates the fairs are going to be held are:

• January 6: Bardhaman Sadar North, Bardhaman Sadar South, Katwa
• January 7: Medinipur Sadar, Bangaon
• January 8: Tamluk
• January 9: Ghatal, Kandi, Kalimpong, Chanchol
• January 10: Krishnanagar, Malda, Gangarampur, Birpara
• January 11: Baharampur, Haldia
• January 12: Durgapur, Islampur
• January 13: Bankura, Arambagh
• January 14: Howrah, Tufanganj
• January 15: Contai, Kalyani
• January 16: Kalna, Malbazar
• January 17: Khatra, Jangipur
• January 18: Bidhannagar
• January 20: Chinsurah, Domkol
• January 21: Purulia East, Mathabhanga
• January 22: Kakdwip, Raiganj, Bishnupur
• January 23: Basirhat, Tehatta, Kurseong
• January 24: Alipur, Rampurhat, Lalbagh
• January 25: Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Dinhata
• January 26: Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Siliguri
• January 27: Bolpur, Canning
• January 28: Barasat, Balurghat
• January 29: Jhargram, Barrackpore, Purulia West
• January 30: Baruipur, Siuri
• January 31: Kharagpur, Mekhliganj

All India Trinamool Youth Congress National President and party’s MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday said the Trinamool Congress is ready to go for elections any time and is confident of winning comprehensively.

Addressing a public rally at Rash Math in Baruipur as a preparatory meeting for the mega Brigade rally of the party scheduled on January 19, Banerjee said: “You have to ensure that the communal forces cannot rear its ugly head at any booth in South 24-Parganas district. Let us unite to drive them out. We are ready for the elections, be it today, tomorrow or day after tomorrow and we will be giving a befitting reply to them (BJP ) in a manner that they cannot be traced even with a microscope.”

Abhishek Banerjee reiterated that the Brigade rally will deliver the clarion call to oust the BJP from the Centre in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Drawing similarities between Netaji and Mamata Banerjee, he said the latter’s battle cry “Delhi Chalo” is a reminder of Subhas Bose’s slogan.

Abhishek maintained that several national leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, Stalin, Shatrughan Sinha, Farooq Abdullah and others will attend the rally to strengthen Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s political fight to show the exit door to the BJP and establish a secular government at the Centre.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call of Achhe Din has proved to be a far cry. The good days will come only when the government at the Centre is toppled. The price of LPG will come down to Rs 500 and the diesel price will be at Rs 50 a litre,” Banerjee said. He also took a dig at the BJP which had planned to bring in leaders from other states in Bengal for political meetings.

“They are bringing leaders from Delhi, party workers from ‘agencies’ and decorators from Ranchi and are claiming to win seats in Bengal. Isn’t it ludicrous as their leaders are completely ignorant of the rich culture of the state,” Banerjee said. Abhishek was also critical of the Prime Minister’s huge spending on publicity campaigns. “He had spent more than Rs 10000 crore for publicity but has deprived the country. All the promises made by him have been exercises in futility,” he maintained.

Abhishek also took the opportunity to slam the BJP’s plan of Rath Yatra programme in Bengal. “In the name of Rath Yatra, they have brought a 7-star AC luxury bus from Delhi. We have heard of Rath Yatra of Shri Jagannath and Shri Krishna. But in the name of Rath, they will be riding a luxury bus. “They cannot compete with us in terms of development. We have fulfilled the promises that we made before coming to power,” he said.

A slew of tourist spots are being developed by the State Government in the ever-popular Darjeeling and its surrounding regions. The projects were mentioned by the State Tourism Minister during a recent trip to Darjeeling.

A high-end property will be developed at Dhotoreah below Rongbull Bazar. It is a beautiful flat land which offers a 360 degree view, and will have high-end cottages, a multipurpose hall where destination weddings can be held, a walking trail and a helipad. A 5 km-long access road to this property will also be developed.

The Darjeeling Tourist Lodge is also being revamped, at a cost of around Rs 25 crore. Six architects have been shortlisted for redesigning the tourist lodge. They are scheduled to hand in the drawings soon, after which tenders will be called. The revamped lodge will have more than 40 rooms, along with common facilities like a state-of-the-art lobby, rooftop restaurant, bar and landscaped lawn.

The Kurseong Tourist Lodge will also be revamped, along with expansion of the property]. There is a property below the tourist lodge which will be used to expand the existing building. The rooms and the restaurant will be renovated, and a modular kitchen, a viewing deck and landscaped surroundings will be added.

The 140-year-old sprawling Lloyd Botanical Garden in Darjeeling is all set to get a major facelift too. The garden is of immense importance to students, researchers and tourists from all over the world as it has thousands of species of plants, many of Himalayan origin. For this, the Tourism Department and the Forest Department will work together. The roads, drains and the greenhouse will be revamped. A detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared, announced the minister. A new tourist destination point will come up on an acre of land adjoining the garden.

In Tiger Hill, Tonglu and Phalut, trekkers’ huts will be built. These will be tent-type accommodations with semi-permanent light construction. The old British bungalow at Tiger Hill is also being rebuilt.

In Kalimpong, Hill Top and Morgan House will be revamped, and a new property that will be built in Delo. New properties are also coming up at Mongpu, Jhalong and Chalsa.

Source: Millennium Post