Evil conspiracy foiled my Chicago visit: Mamata Banerjee

Today is the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Bangla Government is commemorating the occasion through week-long programmes.

To celebrate the historic day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present at a function organised by the Ramakrishna Mission at Belur Math.

She said, “I wanted to visit Chicago but unfortunately I could not visit the place where Swamiji delivered his historic address. There was an evil conspiracy behind this. Some people did not want me to go.”

To commemorate the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech at Chicago, Mamata Banerjee was invited by Ramakrishna Mission to attend a function in Chicago. However, the event was cancelled for ‘unavoidable circumstances’ in June.

Highlights of Chief Minister’s speech:

There is a great similarity in the ideals espoused by leaders – spiritual and political – like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath, Netaji, Gandhiji.

Swami Vivekananda had won the heart of the world with his speech at Chicago in 1893.

I wanted to visit Chicago to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Swamiji’s historic address. Sadly, I could not because of evil designs of a section of people, who did not want my presence there.

The forces that foiled my Chicago visit, I hope they read the preaching of Swami Vivekananda.

The Hinduism which Swami Vivekananda preached was not ‘imported’ from outside. It was formed in this soil. It has its roots in Vedas, Vedanta and Upanishads.

Swamiji used to say Hindu dharma is universal. He said, Hinduism not only tolerates other religions, but also recognises them as the truth.

We follow the Hinduism as preached by Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda. We do not believe in ‘imported’ Hinduism.

I’ve read Swamiji’s books and I believe in his ideals. The youth must be taught about Swamiji’s philosophy and thinking.

A true leader must always be ready to make sacrifices for the people. He must be dedicated to the country.

Tolerance is the essence of Hinduism. Hinduism is universal.

In just 39 years of his life, Swami Vivekananda shaped the spine of this country.

I feel ashamed when some people dictate you cannot eat this or you cannot wear that or who can stay here and who cannot.

Bangla is the land of tolerance. Hindu dharma teaches us to love people, not discriminate.

Come forward, lead a new awakening in the country.

We must despise conservatism. I appeal to all to embrace people with love. Humanism is the true religion. Religion is personal, festival is for all.

We must follow the ideals of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

Ramakrishna had said, some people call mother ‘Ma’, some call her ‘Amma’. But we are all humans. That is our biggest identity. We must believe in harmony, not communalism.

Swami Vivekananda resides in our hearts. Hinduism teaches us to embrace everyone as equal.

Swamiji had said, “I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance”. We must all follow this philosophy.

We are giving Rs 1.5 crore to Vivekananda University. I am handing over a grant of Rs 10 crore to Swamiji. My respectful homage to all Maharajas.

Mamata Banerjee announces tax cut on fuel

Even as petrol prices soared to fresh record highs on Tuesday, Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a Re 1 cut in price.

“For the time being, we have decided to slash one rupee for each litre of petrol and diesel. We also demand that the central government consider cutting down the cess on diesel and petrol prices,” the CM told reporters at Nabanna, the state secretariat.

She also attacked the centre saying that the BJP-led central government hiked excise duty nine times, even when the global crude prices were falling. “Our government has never increased the sales tax or cess during all these years,” she said.

“Our government is always pro-people. We will never take any decision that will harm the interests of the people,” she said.

Mamata Banerjee announces compensation for Majerhat Bridge collapse victims

Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today visited the accident site at Majerhat where the flyover collapsed on September 4, 2018.

After inspecting the ongoing rescue and relief work, she addressed the media where she announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of the deceased person. She also announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh for those who were grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for other injured people.

Highlights of the Chief Minister’s speech:

This could have become a even graver tragedy. The casualty figure could have been higher. But the local people saved many lives. One life was lost, two people are missing. Those who were injured are being taken care of at several hospitals.

A life lost cannot be compensated by money. But, we will give a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased and Rs 50,000 will be given to the people who were injured. Rs 1 lakh will be given to those who were grievously injured.

Our full team, along with locals, worked strongly and rescued people who were trapped within hours. The local people played a great role. I would not undermine their contribution with just words of thanks; we will reward them in due course of time.

An emergency meeting will be held tomorrow at 3:30 PM. Bangla is a river-centric place. There are many bridges here. Even, all documents are not in place. We will continue the monitoring work with all available technical experts.

Metro work is going on in the vicinity. Many locals also said that there were vibrations – almost like earthquake – during the construction work. For the last nine years, the work is going on.

I know the people of South 24 Parganas will be inconvenienced. The administration will take requisite steps to make people’s commuting easier.

Bangla CM to hand over land pattas in Hills

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be handing over land rights documents (pattas) to more than 400 families residing in the forest villages of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts on September 5, during her visit to the Hills.

She will be handing over the land rights documents to about 300 families of Darjeeling district and more than 100 families from Kalimpong district.

A review meeting between the state government and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) officials was held recently in Darjeeling to work out the modalities.

In Darjeeling district, 1,509 claims were received from the Scheduled Tribe communities residing in the forest villages, along with 1,232 claims from Other Traditional Forest Dwellers.

In Kalimpong district, there were 3,376 claims from the ST community and 4,626 from other communities.

There are 59 forest villages in Darjeeling-Pulbazar block, 31 in Jorebungalow-Sukhia block, 11 in Rungli Rungliot block, 21 in Kurseong block, four in Mirik block, 21 in Kalimpong-1 block, 18 in Kalimpong-2 block and 18 in the Gorubathan block.

Source: Millennium Post

Committed to the development of Hills: Mamata Banerjee

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is currently visiting the Hills. She reached Darjeeling yesterday. She attended a high level review meeting with Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) officials today.

Addressing the press after the meeting, the CM said that short-term, mid-term, and long-term plans will be taken up for the development of the Hills. A committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, which will present a detailed report in six months.

The other members of the committee would be the MLAs of the Hills, chairmen of municipalities, members of CII and FICCI, DMs and Police Super. The Chief Advisory Council will comprise Binay Tamang, Anil Thapa, Principal Secretary Mr Thade.

Thrust will be given on tourism. The CM informed that the new university in Mungpoo will be named ‘Darjeeling Hill University’. She said, “this university will fulfill the long-standing demand of the people. The people had requested the Centre to set up a university, but they did not do anything. So, we have decided to set up a university.”

“We are setting up a education hub in Kurseong. Presidency University is setting up a campus in the Hills. From cinchona plantation, agriculture, sericulture, tourism, entertainment, IT, software – everything was discussed in today’s meeting. A lot of development will happen in Darjeeling.”

Khadya Sathi: Food security for Bangla

In the last seven years, the Bangla Government has ensured food security for 90% of the State’s population. Khadya Sathi is one of the flagship programmes of the Bangla Government, implemented by the Food & Supplies Department.

In fact, managing a targeted public distribution system (TPDS) and procurement of paddy and rice at MSP to prevent distressed sale are the principal activities of this department, and the Khadya Sathi Scheme is an integral part of these activities.

The major challenge is to ensure the reach of subsidised foodgrains to the poorest of the poor.

Beneficiaries increased manifold

In financial year (FY) 2010-11, 2.74 crore people in Bangla were getting rice at Rs 2 per kg. This covered only the people under below poverty line (BPL) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) categories. In order to improve the access to food for the vulnerable sections, the coverage was increased manifold in the following seven years by the Trinamool Congress Government.

The flagship programme, Khadya Sathi was launched in January 2016. As of now, it ensures food security for around 8.59 crore people. Out of this, 7.20 crore people belonging to disadvantaged sections of society, who get rice and wheat at Rs 2 per kg and the comparatively well-off 1.39 crore people get foodgrains at half the market price.

Special categories

Out of the 7.2 crore people, 48.07 lakh beneficiaries are covered under special packages for the Jangalmahal region, Cyclone Aila-affected families, unwilling land-giving farmers of Singur, workers and non-workers of closed tea gardens, Hill areas, Toto tribe (staying in Totopara), and other destitute and homeless people. The achievement shows the exponential growth in coverage of people under PDS.

Special package for severely acute malnourished children

Part of the Khadya Sathi Scheme is a special package for severely acute malnourished (SAM) children. This nutrition programme is implemented in association with Health & Family Welfare Department. As part of this, from FY 2014-15, free-of-cost nutritional support is being provided to approximately 5,200 SAM category children and their mothers. The package consists of 5 kg rice, 2.5 kg wheat, 1 kg masoor dal and 1kg Bengal gram per month.

Thus, through the Khadya Sathi scheme, Mamata Banerjee-led Bangla Government is ensuring nutritional security for people of all ages across the length and breadth of the State. Access to proper food is no longer an issue now.

BJP is dreaming of capturing Bengal by bringing in outsiders: Abhishek Banerjee

Today is August 28, the foundation day of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP). Like every year, this year too, a huge students’ rally took place at the Mayo Road crossing in Kolkata, where the chief speaker was trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee.

As one of the marquee speakers, Abhishek Banerjee threw down the gauntlet to the BJP that leave leave along Mamata Banerjee, it would lose 10-0 to even TMCP.

Salient points of Abhishek Banerjee’s speech:

Today’s rally has been converted into a sea of humanity. We are here to take instructions from our supreme leader, Mamata Banerjee. She will show us the way to the future.

On August 11, the BJP had held a rally at this very place. Well, whether it was a rally or a circus, it was difficult to differentiate.

The heartfelt emotions and unbreakable unity of the students who came today proves that those spread rumours, and indulge in dirty talk and accusations against Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee do not have the heart to fight even Trinamool Chhatra Parishad and Trinamool Youth Congress, leave alone any senior leader or block president of the party.

I want to make it clear to Dilip Babu and his party members, the organisational strength that Chhatra Praishad and the youth wing of the party have built far and wide across Bangla would help Trinamool defeat them 10-0; taking on Mamata Banerjee is a far cry.

They have attacked the Chief Minister of Bangla using the crudest of languages – stuff into holes, break hands and legs, send to hospitals, send etc.

I want to ask Dilip Babu, to which hospital would you send me – to one of the multi-super hospitals that Mamata Banerjee has built? To which burial ground would you send me – to one of those which was renovated by Mamata Banerjee? In which house would you imprison me – in one of those built as part of my government’s Gitanjali Scheme? In which ground would you bury me – where golden harvest occurs?

They are in such a state that they do not have any credible worker or leader in Bangla. They are hiring people from other States, who have no idea about the language, culture, tradition and civilisation of Bangla. They are hiring people to even build stages for rallies. And they are talking of capturing Bangla! The party has neither aim nor programme nor purpose.

They are talking about fighting in 12 seats in the State. I say let the fight in and win 12 booths. ‘Change, not revenge’ is our slogan. We do not do the politics of ‘destroy and crush’, like the CPI(M) did for 34 years. We do the politics of ‘build, create, beautify’.

Where seven years back the education sector was mired in darkness, now under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, there is the light of knowledge in institutions across the State. Combining government and private, 24 universities have been established, as well as more than 50 government colleges. Many schools have been upgraded and modernised.

We had said, we will return the land to the unwilling farmers of Singur, our leader has done so. On the other hand, they had said ‘Achhe din aane waale hain’, that two crore people would get jobs; well, even with a microscope you would not able to discern any new jobs.

Many political parties have been stopped in their tracks through coercion, but Trinamool Congress cannot be. This party is like raw iron, the more you beat it, the better it will become.

I ask the Opposition to prove what you have alleged against me. Abhishek Banerjee is ready to die but will not tolerate any misdemeanour. We know how to fight; we will fight till the end, matching punch with punch.

Let me quote the poet Sukanta Bhattacharya: ‘Adim hingsra manabikatar jodi ami keu hoi/ Swajanharano shashane toder chita ami tulboi.’ This fight will continue.

I am reminded of the world of Netaji. He had said: ‘Give me blood, and I will give you freedom,’ whereas Dilip Babu and people like others say, if you stay in power, we will bathe you in blood.

Trinamool Congress is not a party to keep quiet, it will fight it out on the ground. Those who say we will do this and do that to Trinamool, let me say, if Mamata Banerjee gives permission, we will show, in a democratic way, how much sound a cracked drum can really make. There is no use threatening us. Trinamool Congress can never be kept behind a barrier.

If Swami Vivekananda had kept quiet, we would not have found a capable representative at the World Parliament of Religions. And today that party, by distorting his thoughts, is trying to teach us what to eat and what to wear.

Netaji had said: ‘Give me blood, and I will give you freedom.’ If he had kept quiet, no one would have had the power to set up the Azad Hind Fauj and shake the British by the roots.

If Raja Ram Mohun Roy had kept quiet, the custom of sati would not have been stopped.

Similar to these example, if Mamata Banerjee had kept quiet, we would have had to still live in CPI(M)’s reign of terror. So, Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress never kept quite.

Come, let us take a vow to continue our fight through a united front of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad, Trinamool Youth Congress and the people of Bangla

The fight of students and the youth would continue. With this, I am ending my speech.

Jai Hind, Vande Mataram, hail Trinamool Congress, hail Mamata Bandyopadhyay, hail education and progress, hail a harmonious life, hail Trinamool Youth Congress, Vande Mataram.

 

Bangla CM launches ‘Utkarsh Bangla’ e-governance portal

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently launched the website – www.pbssd.gov.in – the e-governance portal of Utkarsh Bangla, a flagship scheme for skill development in Bengal. The annual target of the scheme is to train 6 lakh youth.

The portal will enable the State Government to manage the multifarious needs of the skilling ecosystem, starting from candidate registration to empanelment of training partners and their training centres to online biometric attendance system.

It portal will assist in maintaining transparency and accessibility in reaching out to the unemployed youth in every corner of the State. It will also act as a one-stop-shop for industries where companies would be able to find and recruit skilled manpower as per their requirement.

The short-term training duration starts from 300 hours and is completely free for the candidates. Some of the sectors for short-term training include tourism & hospitality, apparel making, agriculture and also engineering specific sectors like plumbing, welding and automobile servicing.

In its next phase, the portal will enable online payments, monitoring of skill trainings, industry interface, post-placement tracking of candidates, grievance redressal, etc.

It may be mentioned that at present there are 570 training providers with 1,198 short-term training centres, 250 industrial training institutes (ITIs), 152 polytechnics and 3,390 vocational training centres that are imparting training to 3.23 lakh candidates in over 30 different sectors.

Source: Millennium Post

Bangla Govt forms committee for Vidyasagar’s bicentenary birth celebration

The State Government has set up a 27-member committee to celebrate the birth bicentenary of one of Bangla’s icons, the social reformer and educationist Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee will be the president of the body. The members of the committee comprise four Cabinet ministers – those of transport, irrigation and waterways, information technology and women and child development and social welfare, the chief secretary, secretaries of several departments and councils, principal of Ramakrishna Mission, Jhargram, four prominent journalists, noted academicians and several others

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar had played an important role in spreading education, especially among children. He had written Barnaparichay, Kathamala, Batrish Singhasan and Betal Panchabingsati for children. For those pursuing Sanskrit, he wrote Upakramanika.

Source: Millennium Post

Jatra industry on a path of revival, thanks to Bangla CM

Over the curse of the last few years, the jatra industry of Bangla is well on its way out of intensive care. Thanks to the special initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the glory days are gradually on their way back.

From 2012, the Bangla Government has been making serious efforts to revive the stature of everyone involved with jatra.

An annual Jatra Festival is held now, along with similar festival in various districts, all of which are organised by the State Government. More and more jatra artistes are getting registered with the government.

The annual remuneration of jatra artistes, provided by the government, has also increased. In 2012, it was Rs 6,000, now it is Rs 9,000. The government also provides some more types of grants.

The annual Bina Dasgupta Memorial Award and Shantigopal-O-Tapan Kumar Award were instituted by the Trinamool Congress Government. The former, an award for lifetime excellence in jatra craft, is being given since 2013 while the latter is being given since 2017.

Besides, two legends, Makhanlal Natta and Chapal Bhaduri, were bestowed the Bangabibhushan (in 2014) and the Banga Bhushan (in 2017), respectively – awards instituted by the Trinamool Congress Government.