Tag: Mamata Banerjee

Bengal Forest Dept bans use of plastic in parks

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The State Forest Department is going to impose strict restrictions on the usage of plastic material in the parks that are owned by the department. The Forest Minister announced this decision during a programme organised on the occasion of World Environment Day at Central Park in Salt Lake, Kolkata.

Visitors will not be allowed to enter parks with any plastic items or bags. The step has been taken to protect the environment of the parks. Besides throwing away packets inside parks, it is also often seen that people dump plastic bags and other items in the waterbodies inside the parks, which in turn cause damage to the animals and plants in the water.

The Forest Department would also urge the stalls situated near the parks not to sell items in plastic packets to the people.

Extensive awareness campaigns would also be carried out by the department against the use of plastic items, which disrupt the ecological balance. Through these campaigns, the ill-effects of plastic items would be explained.

The State Government is already doing a lot to reduce the harm caused by plastics. It has taken steps to reduce pollution caused by plastics and polythene bags by cleaning drains and water bodies at regular intervals.

Source: Millennium Post

Shola Hub at Bonkapasi village empowering women

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To give impetus to the famous shola article-makers of Bonkapasi village of Mongalkote block of the district of Purba Bardhaman, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has designated the place as a Shola Hub. This is a big step towards a more sustaining future for this traditional cottage industry.

Shola (or ‘sholapith’ in English) is the dried milky-white spongy matter which comprises the bark of the shola plant. It has traditionally been shaped into various objects like ornaments for goddesses (called ‘daaker kaaj’ in Bengali), necklaces and other ornaments, headgear for bridegrooms (‘topor’), etc.

The more than 2,818 artisans and 97 self-help groups (SHG) who comprise the shola workforce of Bonkapasi can now expect a much brighter future. Infrastructural improvements will follow soon, which would lead to better working conditions, better quality and quantity of products, and consequently, much more earnings.

Source: bengali.news18.com

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Bengal leads among States in decrease in crimes related to child labour

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Bengal is leading the country in eradicating the instances of child labour. Over the last three years, only in Bengal has there been an appreciative decrease in crimes related to child labour. This fact came out in a report presented by the concerned Union Minister in Parliament on March 27.

The State-wise list of the number of crimes concerned with child labour from 2014 to 2016 was presented, according to which, during this period, the law has been moved against only 42 people in Bengal.

Significantly too, during the above-mentioned period, there have been 1,131 operations in the State to rescue children illegally engaged in labour.

 

Four-fold jump in infrastructure development budget since 2011: Bengal CM

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In a bid to ensure overall development of the state, the Mamata Banerjee government has increased the expenditure for developing physical infrastructure “four-fold”, since 2011.

The Chief Minister tweeted on Sunday: “Infrastructure development is going on in a rapid pace in Bengal. In fact, expenditure on physical infrastructure in the state has increased almost 4-fold since 2011.”

Giving detailed information on the expenditure carried out by her government, the Chief Minister stated in the tweet: “Recently, new infrastructure projects including flyovers, rural and urban drinking water, roads and bridges, power, affordable housing, irrigation etc worth Rs 18,000 crore, have been sanctioned by our government.”

She also tweeted: “This is in addition to the Rs 25,755 crore budgetary allocation for capital expenditure, for the current financial year. These will open up huge investment opportunities and generate employment in the state.”

After coming to power, Mamata Banerjee had given equal stress on the development of both the rural and urban parts of the state. Development of roads and bridges has ensured better connectivity between different parts of the state.

 

Pursue a career of your choice, undaunted by any adversity: Bengal CM to board toppers

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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today felicitated the toppers of Madhyamik, Higher Secondary, ICSE, CBSE, ISC and WBJEE examinations. The felicitation programme was held at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

It was Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had initiated the programme to felicitate the toppers in the state from all boards.

In her speech, she congratulated all the students for securing a rank in the merit list, in this age of competition. She also urged them to stick to the values imparted by their teachers and parents, and pursue a career of their choice, undaunted by any adversity.

Highlights of the Chief Minister’s speech:

  • My best wishes to all the students who aced the various board exams and secured top ranks. I want to mention the toppers of Madhyamik exam, because it is the first board exam of their life, an experience which comes once in a lifetime.
  • In this age of tough competition to secure a rank in the merit list is no mean feat. Times are changing, the infrastructure has improved. Teaching methods have undergone a change. There are more opportunities.
  • There are many stories of struggle, we must salute those. There may be students whose parents may not be well-to-do, and have to make ends meet to buy them books. We must recognise their struggle too.
  • Our teachers play a major role in shaping our future. The students are their pride. The talent that teachers create requires a lot of dedication, determination and devotion; this is unmatched.
  • There was a time when teachers used to think twice before giving full marks. But our students have to compete with the world now. So, I had requested our Education Minister to ensure our students also get marks at par with ICSE or CBSE. They have done really well.
  • I want you to use your talent and pursue a stream which you like. I would urge you not to neglect the teachers who taught you, or your parents, or even the land where you received your education. This is a learning for your life.
  • Our parents imparted values in us. They taught us Rabindranath-Nazrul, the ideals of Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. They instilled a sense of patriotism and harmony in us. This helped in shaping our conscience.
  • We have learnt not to bow our heads before any hindrance. We should not be afraid of any turbulence. We have to keep marching ahead.
  • Talent from Bengal is famous all over the world. We all have our roots in the villages.
  • Your merit should be your pride. Your skill will help shape your future. Some of you will become doctors, some engineers, some may become professors, some may choose research.
  • We have set up 22 new universities, 6 more are coming up. We have set up 47 new colleges and 7 new medical colleges. 13 new medical colleges are in the pipeline. Number of medical seats has gone up, and we have to keep increasing the number of seats.
  • Granthan, who secured the first rank in Higher Secondary exam, has proved even a student of humanities can secure full marks. No matter which stream you choose, you all must excel in your respective fields.

7 years: Chronicles of Bengal’s progress

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In May 2011, the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, established efficient governance in West Bengal, with the Government of Maa, Mati, Manush. On May 27, 2016, through a historic verdict, the government was sworn in for the second time in a row.

On the seventh anniversary of that historic day, the State Government came out with a book enlisting all the work done by various departments in the last seven years. The book was released by the Chief Minister during the administrative review meeting at Howrah on June 7, 2018.

In the last seven years, Bengal has witnessed phenomenal growth in development and prosperity. Nearly 90% of the State’s population has benefited from various public services. 90% of the State’s population is provided with food grains at a subsidised rate, under the ‘Khadya Sathi’ scheme. Apart from this, the Government has also taken initiatives such as ‘Sabujshree’, ‘Kanyashree’, ‘Sikshashree’, ‘Sabuj Sathi’, ‘Sishu Sathi’, ‘Yuvashree’, ‘Rupashree’, ‘Manabik’, and ‘Samabyathi’, to name just a few.

These schemes have made available a plethora of services to all citizens, including members of scheduled castes, tribes, minorities, and OBCs.

Click here to read the book.

Capacity building under Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) for both officers and inmates

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Over the last financial year (2017-18), the State Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department has done a lot of work in the area of capacity building regarding the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS). The ICPS has played a key role in strengthening the child protection regime in Bengal.

 

Capacity building of child care officers:

  • 217 Child Welfare Police Officers trained on TrackChild portal in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC)
  • Two sensitisation programmes organised for district judges and principal magistrates on Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 (JJ Act) in collaboration with West Bengal Judicial Academy
  • Training of ICPS functionaries on the implementation of JJ Act, covering all the districts
  • Workshop on rehabilitation of children with special need (CWSN) for district social welfare officers (DSWO), Home superintendents and district child protection officers (DCPO) from November 16 to 17
  • Outreach programmes on alternative care and child protection committees (CPC) in Sandeshkhali-1 and Sandeshkhali-2 blocks in the district of North 24 Parganas by officers of State Child Protection Society (SCPS), State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) and District Child Protection Unit (DCPU)
  • Phase-wise training on minimum standards of care for superintendents, probation officers, child welfare officers, House mothers and House fathers of Child Care Institutions (CCI) across Bengal

 

Capacity building plan for FY 2018-19:

  • Operationalising block-level child protection committees (BLCPC), ward-level child protection committees (WLCPC) and village-level child protection committees (VLCPC) through sustained capacity building
  • Creating information, education and communication (IEC) material on trafficking, adoption, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), etc.
  • Developing advocacy strategy on child protection issues
  • Rehabilitating and mainstreaming children through capacity building
  • Developing State guidelines on POCSO Act
  • Implementing State Plan of Action to combat human trafficking
  • Capacity building of ICPS functionaries

 

The State Government is also providing vocational training of various types to the inmates of the various Homes

  • Vocational training for inmates of Juvenile Justice Homes (JJ Homes) in painting of car bodies in collaboration an industrial training institute (ITI) and Maruti Udyog
  • Training inmates of CCIs in retail management (leading to placement), hair cutting, tailoring, etc.
  • Training female inmates of SMM Home in Liluah in weaving and designing in collaboration with internationally renowned fashion designer, Bibi Russel
  • Training female inmates of SMM Home in the peeling, scaling and packaging of fish, and cutting of fish fillets, on stipend basis

 

Thus, through a comprehensive exercise of training child care officers as well as Home inmates, the State Government is bringing about all-round improvement in the child care scenario in Bengal.

 

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Three-day Bengal Mango Utsav starts today

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The State Government is organising a mango festival in Kolkata called Bengal Mango Utsav. It will start today at New Town Mela Ground, and will continue till June 10.

The Food Processing Industries and Horticulture Department is organising this festival, in collaboration with Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The entry to the festival is free. Another important fact is that this is a plastic-free event, in line with the Bengal Government’s initiatives on creating awareness about the environment.

The festival will host an exhibition on exotic varieties of mango and mango products from the various districts of Bengal. Of course, one can buy the articles on display as well.

The exhibition will be held from 4 PM to 8 PM today (June 8) and from 11 AM to 8 PM on June 9 and 10.

Another attraction at the festival will be a cooking competition, revolving around mangoes, which will be held on June 9 from 3 PM.

After UN, Sudip Bandyopadhyay to visit European countries

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With the blessings from Hon’ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Leader of All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party in Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandyopadhyay will be embarking on a tour to European countries this summer.

The countries that Sudip Bandyopadhyay will be visiting include Belarus, Germany, and Austria. He will be accompanying the Speaker of Lok Sabha. Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Nayana Bandyopadhyay will also be accompanying him.

It may be mentioned that in 2017, Sudip Bandyopadhyay had addressed the United Nations General Assembly, with 193 nations attending the session. He has spoken about how the international community needs to step up its efforts to promote an environment free from sanctions and embargoes.

In the past, Trinamool MPs Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O’Brien and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar have visited the United Nations on various occasions.

Bengal Govt to open 50 tourist information centres across Bengal

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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