Music has no boundaries: WB CM at Milan Utsav

West Bengal Chief Minister today attended a concert by ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali which has been organised jointly by the WBMD&FC and Minority & Madrassah Development departments of the West Bengal Government at Netaji Indoor Stadium. It also marked the inauguration of Milan Utsav, 2016.

Incidentally, a performance of the Ghazal Maestro was cancelled in October, 2015 due to political reasons and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had extended her invitation to the maestro to perform in the city.

She welcomed the ghazal maestro to Kolkata and thanked for accepting her invitation to perform in the City of Joy.

“Music has no boundaries,” the West Bengal Chief Minister said adding that Swami Vivekananda preached about tolerance during his lifetime.

“Tolerance, harmony, integrity and equality are very important parts of life. Swami Vivekananda always talked about universal brotherhood. We have to keep that spirit alive,” she added.

In the spirit of harmony, the CM quipped to a thunderous applause: “Fanush banke jinki hifazat hawa karein, woh sama kya bujhe jise roshan khuda karein.”

Honouring Swami Vivekananda’s legacy: Bengal shows the way

West Bengal Government, led by Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee has been pro-active since 2011 in honouring the great visionary and icon Swami Vivekananda.

“His life, work and vision is our inspiration and we are committed and proud to carry forward his message of universal brotherhood, peace, unity and development of humanity,” wrote Mamata Banerjee on her Facebook page.

Some works by West Bengal government in preserving the legacy of Swami Vivekananda:

  • West Bengal government has given autonomy and special status to Ramakrishna and Sarada Mission educational institutions, which are associated with Swami Vivekananda’s ideology to impart education and foster character building.
  • “Vivek Tirtha”, a Centre for Human Excellence coming up as a replica of the famous Art Institute of Chicago is being set up on 5 acres of land in New Town given by our Government. Government has also allocated Rs.10 Crore to start work of this centre of international excellence.
  • Premises adjoining Swamiji’s ancestral house has been acquired and handed over to Ramakrishna Mission.
  • “Mayer Bari” in Baghbazar is also being befittingly renovated and our government has allocated Rs.30 Crore for rehabilitation of people around the premises suitably.
  • Ramakrishna Mission has renovated “Roy Villa” in Darjeeling associated with the memory of Sister Nivedita and we allocated Rs.2 Crore for this work. It has also been handed over to Ramakrishna Mission.
  • The government has already acquired Sister Nivedita’s one house at Baghbazar and duly handed over to Ramakrishna Sarada Mission and are considering giving it heritage status.
  • The famous shrine at Dakshineswar associated with the memory of Swami Vivekananda is being connected with a Sky Walk to facilitate easy movement of visitors.
  • “Yuva Bharati Krirangan”, Bidhannagar of international repute has been named after Vivekananda.
  • The Self Help and Self Employment Department runs a major self-help scheme for our youth in the name “Swami Vivekananda Swanirbhar Karmasansthan Prakalpa”.
  • This year “Vivek Chetana Utsav” commemorating his birth anniversary is being celebrated in a befitting manner across all Blocks, Sub-divisions, Districts, Municipalities, Municipal Corporations, State from 10th to 12th January, 2016.

West Bengal Government observes Vivek Chetana Utsav across the State

Like every year, the Youth Affairs Department, in association with Ramakrishna Math and Mission, is organising the Vivek Chetana Utsav from January 10-12, 2016, to mark the 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Brainchild of Mamata Banerjee, the festival was conceived after Trinamool came to power in 2011.

Celebrations would be held all over the State – in 341 blocks, 121 municipalities, six municipal corporations, including in the 144 wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, GTA and in all the district capitals.

Among the activities would be ceremonial processions, exhibitions on the life and works of Swami Vivekananda, discussions on the character-building of students and the youth, quizzes on Swami Vivekananda, debates, exhibition football matches, sit-and-draw competitions, essay-writing competitions, and other cultural competitions and programmes.

The State Government wishes for a successful Vivek Chetana Utsav, through the cooperation of all stakeholders.

 

Image: File photo of Vivek Chetana Utsav 2015

Britain, KMC join hands to make Kolkata low-carbon city

Kolkata is all set to receive the first-of-its-kind climate change cell in the city, which will offer citizens a platform to interact with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation authorities on issues of climate change and assist in addressing them.

This web-enabled cell is to be launched next month at the headquarters of Kolkata Municipal Corporation at S.N.Banerjee Road. The cell has been formed as part of the roadmap for transforming the city into a low carbon climate resilient zone.

The civic body will designate a room where the cell will be located with help desk facilities, where concerned citizens can come with their views and reports. Along with this the cell will also enable virtual facility; it will have a dedicated web portal and a mobile app. The portal will provide information about concerns related to carbon emission in Kolkata, and the KMC’s initiatives to address them.

UK Employment Minister Priti Patel and KMC Mayor Sovan Chatterjee launched a ‘roadmap’ to make Kolkata a low carbon economy and a climate resilient city.

“Kolkata is leading the way in India, and playing its part in the international effort to tackle climate change,” Priti Patel, UK Cabinet Minister for Employment, said after releasing the ‘roadmap’ at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

The British-Indian MP said with the launch of the roadmap, Kolkata has become one of the first cities in India to put in place an integrated strategy to lower emissions, improve resilience to the impacts of climate change and reap the economic benefits that a low-carbon transition can bring.

The roadmap contains recommendations across 20 sectors including disaster management, health, low-carbon procurement, resource conservation and policy to encourage use of solar energy.

“Over the next decade, the roadmap is expected to save carbon emissions; create one million green jobs; and attract investment in multiple sectors such as solar, solid waste management and energy efficient lighting,” Patel said.

Congratulating the Kolkata Mayor, his team and their British partners for this initiative, the UK minister said she will look forward to sharing Kolkata’s success story with other cities across the world.

During UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to Kolkata in 2013, the UK had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to provided technical assistance of Euro 1 million to implement this initiative.

Huge investments announced at BGBS 2016

A lot of investments were announced by top industrialists at the Bengal Global Business Summit 2016.

Here is a list of some of the big investment decisions announced.

However, this is just a partial list. There will be thousands of crores more worth of industrial investments, many of which are on the way to being finalised.

 

Sector-wise investment break-ups:

  • Manufacturing and infrastructure development – Rs 1,16,958 crore (TCG – Rs 20,000 crore, Zhongtong Bus – Rs 1500 crore, Sree Cement – Rs 500 crore, Ambuja Cement – Rs 350 crore, Great Eastern – Rs 1700 crore, and others)
  • Power – Rs 8462 crore
  • Animal Research Development – Rs 45 crore
  • Fisheries – Rs 115 crore
  • Transport – Rs 9384 crore (logistics park in Baidyabati – Rs 5000 crore, Howrah freight terminal – Rs 2000 crore, and others)
  • Tourism – Rs 450 crore
  • Food Processing – Rs 230 crore
  • Urban Development – Rs 29,000 crore (Ambuja Township near Baruipur and 16 other townships)
  • Higher Education – Rs 2150 crore (Amity University – Rs 2000 crore, and others) IT and Telecom– Rs 8650 crore (Airtel – Rs 3500 crore, ITC Infotech – Rs 1650 crore, and others)
  • MSME – Rs 50,000 crore
  • Healthcare – Rs 1360 crore
  • Technical Education – Rs 2500 crore
  • Textile – Rs 50,000 crore
  • Transport – Rs 9384 crore

 

Other investments

  • Deep sea port at Sagar Island (Bhor Sagar) – Rs 40,000 crore
  • SAIL – Rs 40,000 cr expansion project
  • Druk Air will soon start flights from Bhutan linking Andal and Durgapur
  • Zhongtong Bus & Holding Company of China signed its first anchor investment deal with WBIDC, where each would have an 11% stake; it will start manufacturing buses in Bengal.
  • MoU between Calcutta Goods Transport Association and the State Transport Department for a Rs 5000 crore project in Baidyabati, which would employ 10,000 people. It would be the biggest metropolitan logistics hub in greater Kolkata
  • MoU between WBMDTC and KIOCL for exploration, extraction and benefication of iron ore in West Bengal to invest Rs 850 crore
  • Bosch will crowdfund technology to decongest traffic
  • MoU between business consulting firm, Dynamics Fortunes of the UK and the State Agriculture Ministry to promote rice from West Bengal. It would benefit one lakh farmers
  • The Department of Technical Education signed six agreements – with Iron and Steel Council, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki, Leather Sector Skill Council and Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council – to benefit two lakh people
  • Hotels at the eco-tourism of Gajaldoba: Three-star resort by Sterling Holiday and two budget hotels by Summit Group and Seal Group
  • Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd. will make 2000 dwelling units for the weaker sections of society in Durgapur, their largest such project. Three thousand more such units would be constructed in the future
  • Mahindra & Mahindra will invest for the first time in West Bengal, in Vidyasagar area of Kharagpur
  • Joint venture between HP and WBHIDCO to set up two telemedicine hubs via remote consulting. This would be a part of HP’s CSR activities
  • MoU between the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (Government of India) and WEBEL in order to train two lakh youth in six centres over a period of three years

 

Cruise service connecting Kolkata to Murshidabad flagged off by WB CM

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee flagged off the Ganges Voyager-II cruise at the Millennium Park from Salboni through video-wall connectivity on Wednesday. The cruise will start from Kolkata and go to Murshidabad, stopping at historical spots dotting the banks of the river.

This cruise has been started to attract prospective investors who come to the state. The seven-night and six-day trip will offer amenities like spa, bar, lounge, cafe, restaurant and a library. The ship with 28 luxury cabins of ethnic theme will be of international standard. The first commercial cruise will set sail on January 14. It is already houseful with all foreign tourists on board. Operators said their travel partners from abroad have already booked their tickets for the first four years. The cruise is slated to be the main highlight of foreign investment at the three-day Bengal Global Business Summit starting from Thursday.

The ship is built at BN Bose Shipyard in Ghushuri, Howrah. The shipyard itself is a part of the state’s heritage. It was built for Rs 25 crore.

In Bengal, Ganga has two other similar cruises – from Kolkata to Allahabad and from Kolkata to Varanasi. Such cruises are very popular at Alleppey in Kerela where tourists enjoy a cruise through the backwaters on luxury houseboats.

President praises development initiatives of WB CM

President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday praised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her “emphasis” on improvement in education, health and infrastructure.

Mukherjee inaugurated the administrative building, an auditorium and a gym at Vidyanagar College in Bishnupur, South 24-Parganas. He had taught political science at the college from 1963 to 1968.

“The chief minister has laid emphasis on three subjects – education, health and infrastructure. This is laudable,” Mukherjee said.

Diamond Harbour MP and Trinamool Youth Congress National President Abhishek Banerjee was present on the occasion.

Bengal Global Business Summit: WB CM meets Bhutan PM in Kolkata

Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on Wednesday arrived in Kolkata for a four-day visit to West Bengal, and met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the day.

Tobgay will be attending the two-day Bengal Global Business Summit beginning on Friday.

On Wednesday, Tobgay visited the Bhutanese consulate and interacted with the consul general. In the evening, Mamata Banerjee accompanied by government officials paid him a visit.

During her visit to Bhutan in October, Banerjee had invited Tobgay for the business summit.

Bengal is the destination for industries today: WB CM at Salboni

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today inaugurated a cement plant at Salboni belonging to the Jindal Steel Works Group’s.

JSW’s cement plant marks the revival of the biggest investment proposal in Bengal since Independence -Rs 35,000 crore for an integrated steel, power and cement plant -would attract over Rs 800 crore.

The company plans to set up a 2.4 MT cement grinding unit followed by a 300 MW captive power plant at Salboni, involving a total investment of Rs 2,700 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister thanked the Jindals for their initiative. “Development cannot take place by force, it needs to be done with love,” she said.

“We will set up a 300 bedded multi super hospital in Salboni in addition to an ITI & polytechnic college. This area will shine in days to come,” she added.

She said that Jindals wanted to expand their industries in Salboni but iron-ore was a problem. “There should be a national iron ore policy, it will bring about parity and ease the business process,” the CM said.

Reiterating that Jangalmahal is smiling, the Chief Minister added that Bengal is surging ahead in every sphere:

  • Gross Value Added (GVA) of India is 7.5% and that of Bengal is 10.5%
  • The increase in Per Capita Income in 2014-15 in West Bengal is 12.84% while that of India is 6.1%
  • The increase in Industry in 2014-15 in West Bengal stands at 8.34% while that of India is 5.6%
  • The growth in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery in 2014-15 has been 6.49% while that of India is 1.1%

 

She also highlighted the social sector intiatives of the state:

  • 7.7 crore people have been brought under the Food Security Scheme. Rice & wheat is being given at Rs 2 per kg
  • There are 31 lakh Kanyashrees & around 40 lakh cycles being given under Sabuj Sathi
  • 58,000 artists will get a pension of Rs 1000 as well as opportunities in government programmes

 

She concluded her speech with the hope that lives of the local people will transform in the days to come.

WB CM inaugurates Jangalmahal Utsav

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee today inaugurated the second edition of the Jangalmahal Utsav from the Medinipur College Ground, Paschim Medinipur. The Chief Minister also distributed prizes for the Jangalmahal Cup today.

The West Bengal Chief Minister also inaugurated the 300-bedded Onda Super Specialty Hospital and Chhatna Super Specialty Hospital today from the same venue. She also inaugurated the Critical Care Units of Medinipur Medical College & Hospital and Jhargram Zilla Hospital, as well as the SNCU of the Bishnupur Zilla Hospital.

The foundation stone of the new multi-storied building  of the West Bengal Health University also be laid by the Chief Minister through remote control.

The Jangalmahal Cup was held in the four districts of Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum with competitions held in sports like football, Kabaddi and archery.

The Jangalmahal Utsav, to be held from January 5 – 9, 2016, will focus on tribal music, folk songs from Bengal and also showcase the handicrafts from Jangal Mahal.

Highlights of her speech:

  • I love coming to Jangalmahal to see your smiling faces. There is a lot of talent & art in this region.
  • There were more than 42,000 participants this year in the Jangalmahal Cup. Similar sports programs are held in Sunderban as well.
  • I request all the participants to register in the Employment Bank.
  • There are 31 lakh Kanyashrees & around 40 lakh cycles being given under Sabuj Sathi.
  • This year alone we paid Rs 28,000 cr for the debts taken by previous Govt. In 4 years we paid over Rs 1 lakh cr.
  • 6 Multi Super Hospitals are ready in Medinipur district alone. There will be no need to run to Kolkata with sick patients.
  • Multi Super Speciality Hospitals are being set up in Salboni, Debra, Ghatal and Gopiballavpur also besides Onda and Chatna 2 today.
  • 108 Fair Price Medical Shops are operational across the state to provide medicines at cheaper rates to the common people.
  • 9 medical colleges have been set up besides a number of ‘Mother and Child Hubs’ across the State.
  • Critical Care Unit at Medinipur Medical College Hospital & Jhargram Hospital have been set up.
  • We are providing hospital beds free of cost and free treatment for the people of this state.
  • Funds have been given for Medinipur Aurobindo Stadium, land identified and fund allotted for Kharagpur Stadium.
  • 500 Karma Tirthas set up, 7.7 cr people have been brought under the Food Security Scheme. Rice & wheat is being given at Rs 2 per kg.
  • Development of the Kendu leaf collectors have been taken up & insurance programs have been taken up for them to ensure security.
  • We are aiming to include 35 lakh girls under Kanyashree and 16 lakh students under Shikshashree.
  • This area has immense tourist potentials like Mukutmanipur, Ayodhya Hills & Jhargram Rajbari which have been developed.
  • 58,000 artists will get a pension of Rs 1000 as well as opportunities in Govt programs.
  • We have set up ITI’s in Salboni, Lalgarh, Jhargram, Keshwari, Ghatal, Garbeta & other places in Jangalmahal.
  • Polytechnic colleges have been already set up at Medinipur and Ghatal.
  • The State Government is giving out Rs 20 Lakh as loan for higher education.
  • 59,000 students belonging to minority communities have got chance to pursue higher education.
  • We have given Rs 1.24 crores as scholarship to students.
  • 70 new police stations, 8 coastal police stations, 19 human rights courts, 45 women police stations, 88 fast track courts set up.
  • The Bengal Global Business Summit will be held, Bengal will move ahead.