Our Govt’s professional coaching for SC/ST students has yielded great results: Mamata Banerjee

Our Govt’s professional coaching for SC/ST students has yielded great results: Mamata Banerjee

Posted on June 9, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, through a Facebook post today, congratulated the scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) students who achieved ranks in the State Joint Entrance and NEET examinations after getting coached at specialised centres set up by the State Government.

She wrote, “The unique initiative of our government to provide high-end professional coaching to SC/ST students for engineering and medical entrance examinations have yielded great results.”

According to her post, out of the 939 students who took coaching this year, 348 SC and 76 ST students achieved ranks in the Joint Entrance Examination for engineering courses, including 95 in the top 1,000, while 125 qualified for medical courses through NEET.

“My heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all of them,” she wrote.

The Chief Minister further said that the Government is already taking steps to expand the specialised coaching arrangement so that more and more students can benefit from it and get placed in professional courses.

Click here to read Mamata Banerjee’s Facebook post

World’s 2nd largest coal mine allocated to Bengal, CM elated

Posted on June 8, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today announced through a Facebook post that Deocha-Pachami and Harinsingha-Dewanganj coal blocks in Birbhum district have been allocated to Bengal.

This is a major gain for the State as the two coal blocks combined form the world’s second largest, and India’s largest coal mine, having an estimated reserve of 2,102 million tonnes.

Mamata Banerjee shared her happiness with all regarding the allocation of these major coal mines to the State. She said, “I am very happy to share with all of you that after a long wait of 3 years, West Bengal has got the allocation of the Deocha Pachami Harinsingha Dewanganj Coal Mines in Birbhum district”.

In her post, she further said that the mining project has huge potential for generating nearly a lakh of direct and indirect employment opportunities in Birbhum and neighbouring districts. The project will also involve investments worth Rs 12,000 crore.

All these aspects of the project, the Chief Minister said, will enable “huge socio-economic development of Birbhum, the neighbouring districts and the entire State”.

Necessary administrative infrastructure has already been set up to start the project immediately.

To read the Facebook post, click here

Bengal Govt to open 50 tourist information centres across Bengal

Posted on June 7, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

To make information to tourists easily available, the Bengal Government has decided to open as many as 50 tourist information centres across the State.

Though aimed primarily at tourists from other parts of the country as well as from across the world, the information centres would cater to tourists from the State as well. All information related to a particular area would be available at each centre. These would be run by the Tourism Department.

These tourist centres would play a major role in making Bengal more tourist-friendly. As it is, it is one of the top States in terms of tourist arrivals, both nationally and internationally. This project would take Bengal significantly higher in the rankings.

Where to stay, what to do, what to eat, what to buy, what are the specialities of a particular place or area – information of every kind would be available at these centres. Guide books would be available in English, Hindi and Bengali. They would contain detailed information about the history, geography and culture of a place.

These centres are already running at the airports in Kolkata and Bagdogra. Soon they would come up in four other places in Kolkata (Kolkata and Sealdah railway stations, Rabindra Sadan and Madhusadan Mancha), Howrah and Santragachi railway stations, Kakdwip and Diamond Harbour railway stations (South 24 Parganas district), Murshidabad, Malda, Bankura, Birbhum district, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri and other places to cover all the districts.

The information available at the centres would also help tourists to decide how and where to go next. All in all, the tourist information centres would act as one-stop centres for all tourists visiting Bengal.

Source: Sangbad Pratidin

NEET question paper row: Mamata Banerjee slams Centre

Posted on June 5, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today chaired a meeting to take stock of the health situation in the State. At the end of the meeting, she expressed her satisfaction with the services provided by doctors, nurses and health workers.

The Chief Minister slammed the Centre for rising prices of life-saving medicines. She said since the Centre has increased the prices, the medicines are unavailable at many places, due to which, common people are suffering.

She also slammed the Centre for the question paper fiasco in NEET. She said, “In this year’s NEET exam, students from our State could not perform well because of problems in translation. English and Bengali papers were different. They are not giving priority to regional needs. Students who speak the local language are thus getting disadvantaged. We have already written to the Centre on this issue.”

Treatment at hospitals in Bengal is given free of cost. There has been a sea-change in the infrastructure of hospitals. Fair price medicine shops and diagnostic centres have been set up. Procedures like dialysis are performed at lower costs. Pacemakers and stents are given for free.

As a result, patients from neighbouring States and countries are coming to Bengal in large numbers, thus increasing the pressure on State hospitals. 27,000 new beds have been added.

The CM urged doctors to provide service with a smile. She also instructed the administration to prevent untoward incidents of vandalism and violence at hospitals in the State.

West Bengal Biodiversity Board: Ensuring preservation of the State’s flora

Posted on June 5, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

The West Bengal Biodiversity Board (WBBB) has three primary objectives: conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of biodiversity, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the biodiversity, in addition to establishment of proprietary rights and restraining bio-piracy.

Some of the major achievements of WBBB are as follows:

Facilitating constitution of 350 Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) at block, municipality and municipal corporation levels; more are in the offing
Through the BMCs, constitution of 120 People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBR) for documentation of biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge and practices; more are being constituted
Documentation of traditional rice varieties (TRV) and registering them in the names of farmers’ communities; so far, 110 TRVs have been documented, of which 12 have been registered 51 have been applied for
Awareness generation programmes, including seminars, nature studies and field training, and special ‘bio tours’ for school students
Bringing commercial establishments accessing bio-resources from the State under the purview of ‘Access and Benefit Sharing’ of the Biological Diversity Act; so far, 100 commercial establishments brought under purview, and 15 of the shared benefits, amounting to Rs 13,39,193, accumulated in the Biodiversity Fund of the State Government
Publications: 10 field guide books in Bengali, Tradable Bioresources of West Bengal, three People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBR) preparation manuals in BengaliSource: Departmental Budget

West Bengal Pollution Control Board: Setting higher standards for a better environment

Posted on June 5, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) is a statutory regulatory authority of the Bengal Government. It is responsible for setting standards and monitoring pollution levels and taking steps as and when required.

Among its responsibilities, functions and activities are:

Monitoring and control of industrial effluents and emissions
Management of wastes in coordination with urban local bodies
Installation of online effluent quality monitoring system at 42 grossly polluting industrial units
Control of vehicular tail pipe permission, especially in Kolkata, by working in collaboration with the State Transport Department and Kolkata Traffic Police
Provision of e-rickshaws in rural areas
Installation of rainwater harvesting structures in 32 schools and solar panels on the roofs of 200 schools
Creation of environmental awareness programmes on World Environment Day, organising rallies, cultural programmes and training programmes, reclamation and beautification of waterbodies and parks, distribution of non-toxic colours to idol-makers participating in various fairs, etc.
Effective use of the fly ash generated in thermal power plants
Provision of solid waste management units in rural areas

These and other measures being taken by WBPCB are resulting in the improvement of all aspects of the environment of the State.

Source: Departmental Budget

Environment Department: Working towards a more livable future

Posted on June 5, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

The scope of work of the Environment Department is very wide, exhaustive and challenging. The wings of the department work in close coordination to fulfil the commitment of the Bengal Government towards its people for a clean and more livable environment – be it in terms of air, water, noise or several other aspects.

For effective control of pollution, a number of steps, measures and policies have been initiated by the Environment Department which include stringent regulations, development and periodical revision of environment standards, control of vehicular pollution, control of air and water pollution, abatement and prevention of noise pollution, revisiting and revision of the list of critically polluted areas and their environment improvement plans, etc.

The department has been funding research projects through grants-in-aid both to its parastatals like West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), West Bengal Biodiversity Board (WBBB), East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority (EKWMA) and Institute of Environmental Studies and Wetland Management (IES&WM), and also to some research institutions.

Some of the salient points regarding the working of the Environment Department:

WBPCB is constantly monitoring and taking suitable measures for improving air quality and reducing water body pollution.
An online system of WBPCB’s consent administration has been developed for transparency. All monitoring data can now be accessed from the board’s website. The consent administration has also been simplified.
The ‘consent to operate’ periods have been increased: from two years to five years for Red Category Industries, from three years to five years for Orange Category Industries and from five years to seven years for Green Category Industries. A new White Category has been introduced which only requires the relevant industries to give information to the WBPCB and is exempt from ‘consent’ administration.
The State Action Plan for climate change is being amended to strengthen the plan, introduce mitigation measures in addition to adaptation measures and bring it in line with the latest developments in various fields.
Actions on conservation of biodiversity, preparing a comprehensive register and promoting conservation have been accelerated.
A lot of work has been done for restoration and beautification of many waterbodies.
More emphasis has been laid on organising awareness activities to spread environment education among all sections of society and mobilising people’s participation for preservation and conservation of environment.

Source: Departmental Budget

Sabuj Sathi – Symbol of empowerment of students in Bengal

Posted on June 3, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

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.

Bengal CM slams Centre over LPG price hike

Posted on June 3, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

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.

Focus on development at Bengal CM’s administrative meeting in the Hills

Posted on May 31, 2018 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

On Wednesday, May 30, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held an administrative review meeting of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. Emphasising on the development roadmap, the Chief Minister advised the state government authorities in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts to focus on the water supply, sewerage, construction and upkeep of roads and waste management.

Speaking at the administrative review meeting of the two districts in Kalimpong, she said: “Darjeeling and Kalimpong have immense potential. There is unmatched natural beauty here. It is your duty to present a clean and green Darjeeling to the tourists who visit these places. For the next two years, we should concentrate on four key areas — water, sewerage, roads and waste management.”

She asked the GTA and Hill Municipalities to sit with the Municipal and PHE departments in Kolkata during the next 10 days and work out a consolidated plan to resolve the drinking water crisis in the Hills.

She also insisted that henceforth funds for construction of houses of the beneficiaries through the 15 development boards should go directly to their bank accounts in two instalments. The Chief Minister spoke on the new avenues for employment generation for the youth and stressed on skill development to impart training in beautician courses, hospitality, as tourist guides and in the medical field as well.

Speaking of the immense potential in the field of tourism, she added: “Tourism industry is one of the most important industries of Bengal. We are giving a lot of emphasis to North Bengal as this place has a lot to offer. All projects have to be finished on time.”

She asked the state Tourism department and the GTA to renovate the Swiss Cottages in Mirik. De-siltation of the Mirik Lake, landscaping including gardens and pathways around the area is on the anvil. Inquiring about the progress of work at Tiger Hill, she stated that the gallery needs to be renovated. Around 19 tourist cottages are said to come up at Tiger Hill in Darjeeling.

The Chief Minister also asked the Power department to look into the electricity problems faced by Lava, Loleygaon and Reshyap in the Kalimpong district.

A proposal has also been given for six new police stations in Darjeeling and three in Kalimpong district. A new administrative building is being constructed in Kalimpong as well. Around 2 acre of land has been allotted for the Police Lines and correctional home in Kalimpong. Banerjee also inquired about the 100 day work scheme in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.

Around 500 schemes are underway in the Hills currently. Land right documents (pattas) will be handed over to 271 beneficiaries from the forest villages of Kalimpong on Thursday at Lohapool. The CM also inaugurated a number of projects on Thursday.