Page 11 - West Bengal

Rain deficit in June-July, heavy rain in Sept-Oct hit WB paddy yield

First during June and July this year, considered the peak seasons for sowing of Aus and Aman paddy, the granary belts, especially in south Bengal, witnessed a massive rainfall deficit

CAA enactment in Northeast, WB should not be a problem: MoS Rajkumar Singh

'The inner line permit and CAA should not be a problem in the nation, especially in northeast India and West Bengal'

Bengal BJP MP urges Cong, Left to join hands to defeat BJP in rural polls

BJP MP Saumitra Khan on Tuesday urged all opposition parties, including the Congress and the Left Front, to join hands with the saffron camp to defeat the Trinamool Congress in the panchayat polls due next year. The Congress and the Left Front, however, dismissed Khan's proposal by terming the BJP and the TMC as two sides of the same coin. The ruling TMC claimed that Khan's appeal proved that the three parties have a tacit understanding in West Bengal. In the rural polls at the booth level, the fight should be TMC versus all. All we want is to defeat the TMC, and anyone or any force willing to fight against the TMC can join hands. If someone at the booth level can defeat the TMC and needs our support, we will support them, Khan told reporters here. His comments came against the backdrop of the victory of opposition parties in cooperative elections in Purba Medinipur and some other parts of the state. West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the grand old party wo

ED grills ex-Bengal minister Paresh Adhikari in teacher recruitment scam

Sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday interrogated former West Bengal minister Paresh Adhikari in connection with a teacher recruitment scam. Adhikari, who had been earlier been grilled by the CBI in the same case, arrived at the CGO complex of the ED office here in the morning to face questioning, sources in the agency said. The former minister of state for education is facing allegations of adopting illegal means to get her daughter Ankita appointed as a teacher in a state-run school in Cooch Behar district. The Calcutta High Court had earlier this year dismissed Ankita from job and asked her to return the salary she had drawn as a teacher since 2018. In August, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during a cabinet reshuffle, had dropped Adhikari from her ministry.

W Bengal: Bomb explodes at TMC panchayat leader's under-construction house

A crude bomb exploded at an under-construction building of Trinamool Congress (TMC) Panchayat leader in Deganga area of North 24 Parganas district on Sunday.The incident took place in North Chandpur village in Deganga. In the incident, two masons were injured. They were shifted to the hospital. Police arrived at the spot after the incident and recovered three more crude bombs from the site. The bombs were recovered under the staircase.Police started an investigation into the matter.Abdul Hakim Mollah, a panchayat member said, "Panchayat elections are ahead. Some people might have planted bombs to defame us. Such a conspiracy has been made so that our candidate do not contest the polls."Further details awaited.

Two masons injured in crude bomb blast in Bengal's North 24 Parganas

Two masons were injured in a crude bomb explosion at an under-construction building in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Sunday, police said. The incident took place when the masons were working at the site in Deganga area, and they received minor injuries. Three live bombs were also recovered from the spot and were defused, a police officer said. Locals claimed that the under-construction building belongs to a TMC panchayat member. The owners of the house are being questioned and further investigation is underway, he added.

With matter in SC, Bengal minister assures DA arrear payment at right time

His statement came just a day after the state government moved to the apex court in this matter

Over 50 lakh rural homes in West Bengal now get tap water: Mamata

More than 50 lakh households in rural West Bengal now get drinking water through piped connections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday. Congratulating those involved in the project, Banerjee said her government is dedicated to serving the people and ensuring their welfare. "I'm delighted to announce that more than 50 lakh rural households in Bengal now have access to clean potable water through tap water connections," she tweeted. The West Bengal government has provided over 23.37 lakh tap water connections in this fiscal, officials said.

Kolkata witnessed good air quality index during Diwali: West Bengal PCB

The weather god played a role in ensuring the cleanest Diwali in recent times in Kolkata and adjoining districts as the cyclone Sitrang passed by during the festivities, in addition to awareness programmes and vigilance, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (PCB) said. During the 2022 Diwali, Kolkata witnessed 'Good' AQI as compared to 'Moderate' or 'Very Poor' for metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai, the WBPCB said in a statement on Thursday. It said that improved air quality data and reduced noise level figures show that Kolkata in particular and West Bengal as a whole has witnessed the cleanest Diwali in recent times. "Barring violations reported from few pockets of the state, persistent awareness campaigns, vigilance from the WBPCB's Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) coupled with some influence of the passing Cyclone Sitrang have contributed to such improvement in celebrating the cleanest of Diwali in 2022," the state PCB said. While in Kolkata,

West Bengal exports Haringhata brand meat to Qatar, other countries

West Bengal has started exporting meat labelled with the state government-owned Haringhata brand to Qatar, ahead of the FIFA World Cup football tournament, officials said. State minister for Animal Resources Development Swapan Debnath on Thursday said that besides Qatar, the state will also be sending goat and sheep meat from its processing centre in Haringhata -- owned by West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation to countries such as Kuwait, Hong Kong and Maldives. "We will be exporting meat to multiple countries, having received an approval from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)," he stated. Debnath said that the department would urge its "agents" to push for a deal with the authorities responsible for food supply during the tournament. "We have received a contract for exporting 1.2 metric tonne of meat. Around seven tonne will be sent in six batches in a month," the minister added.

Mamata Banerjee hints at discussing political issues with M K Stalin today

West Bengal Cheif Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hinted that she may discuss political issues and collaboration with other regional parties at her courtesy call on her Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin, slated for this evening. Describing her call on the DMK strongman as a courtesy, she, however, added, when two politicians meet, some politics are always discussed. She was speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport before leaving for Chennai. The Trinamool Congress supremo said, I trust all the regional parties... they are going to play an important role in the 2024 elections. Banerjee is travelling to Chennai as she has been invited by West Bengal Governor La Ganesan to his elder brother's birthday on November 3. The West Bengal CM may also meet several top politicians of Tamil Nadu, who are expected to be present at Ganesan's family function. Banerjee had, in the past, met several opposition leaders to try to forge unity among them.

Bengal govt to conduct health check-up of all the 2,109 bridges in state

The West Bengal government has planned to carry out a "health check-up" of all 2,109 bridges in the state, after the collapse of a nearly 100-year-old suspension bridge in Gujarat, which left over 130 people dead, a senior official said. State Public Works Department Minister Pulak Roy, during a meeting with senior officials and engineers, instructed them to inspect the condition of the bridges and file reports with necessary observations by November-end, he said on Tuesday. Roy directed the engineers to take immediate measures "if the survey finds problems in any of the bridges", the official stated. At the meeting, a decision was taken to repair at the earliest the Coronation Bridge in Siliguri, and the Birendra Sasmal Setu across Kangsabati, the official said. Necessary work to repair the Santragachi Bridge, too, will commence from November 10, he said. "Two new bridges will be constructed over Kangsabati and Shilabati rivers," the official added. The minister, when contacted,

CBI tracking accounts of shell entities used in Bengal cattle scam

CBI sleuths have noted transactions with four Kolkata-headquartered corporate entities, to whose accounts huge sums were transferred in phases from the accounts of those named in the charge sheet

Bengal will not be left out of CAA implementation process: BJP leader

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP on Tuesday claimed that the process of CAA implementation has started in the country and West Bengal will not be left out of it. His comment comes a day after the Centre decided to grant Indian citizenship to minorities mostly from Pakistan, who have migrated to India, and are currently living in two districts of Gujarat under the Citizenship Act, 1955, and not the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA). According to a Union home ministry notification, those Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians residing in the districts of Anand and Mehsana in Gujarat will be allowed registration as a citizen of India under section 5 or will be granted certificate of naturalisation under section 6 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and in accordance with the provisions of the Citizenship Rules, 2009. Responding to a question on the Centre's notification, Adhikari said the "CAA has already been rolled out in two ...

Mamata likely to hold meeting with Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin in Chennai

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to hold a meeting with her Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin in Chennai, an official said on Tuesday. Banerjee will travel to the southern metropolis on Wednesday as she has been invited by West Bengal Governor La Ganesan to his elder brother's birthday on November 3. The CM, who is likely to stay a night in Chennai, may pay a visit to Stalin at his camp office on November 2, soon after reaching there, he said. The Trinamool Congress supremo may also meet several top politicians of Tamil Nadu, who are expected to be present at Ganesan's family function, the official added.

Shah's visit to Bengal for Eastern Zonal Council meet postponed: Official

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's proposed visit to West Bengal on November 5 for a meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council has been postponed for the time being, a top official here said. The official also said that the letter received from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), apprising the state government of the development, had no mention of any fresh date. He maintained that the reason behind the postponement was not clear. "The proposed meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council has been postponed for now. It will now take place on a different date. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will not be visiting the city next week. We have no idea why it was postponed," the bureaucrat told PTI, when contacted, referring to the MHA communication. "We have not been given another date for the meeting as yet," he stated. Apart from Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Shah, who is the chairman of the council, was scheduled to meet her counterparts from Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Sikkim to discuss ..

Bengal govt to launch revamped single window industry portal in 2 months

The West Bengal government on Friday said it is revamping its industry-focused single window portal Shilpasathi' for a truly 24x7 service and it is likely to be launched within two months. The new portal will have more features to facilitate greater ease of doing business, state industry Minister Shashi Panja said. The Shilpasathi' portal had been in place for business and industry as a single point of contact for some time and now it is being rebuilt. "The Revamped Shilpasathi portal is expected to be launched by December. This will improve existing services for greater ease of doing business," Panja said at the 191st AGM of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce. She said that the state is working towards framing a state logistics policy. Logistics is a highly prospective sector that can attract huge investment in the state. The Centre has recently announced a logistics policy that aims to exploit multi-modal transport to reduce costs. Panja, calling for investment in West Bengal, .

West Bengal govt plans to launch mobile exhibition on cyber security

The West Bengal government is planning to start a mobile exhibition on cyber security to make people aware of how to keep their computers, cell phones and other such devices safe from malicious attackers, an official said on Friday. The police and information technology (IT) departments are working together on the project in which posters and models on cyber security will be displayed in a large vehicle which will travel to various areas. "The Kolkata Police has made a proposal for a cyber security van. It will be executed after getting the approval of the government," state IT Joint Secretary Sanjay Kumar Das told reporters on the sidelines of Cyber Security Congress, a seminar organised here. The van will be managed by the police and available for organisations to reserve, Additional Commissioner of Police Hari Kishore Kusumakar said. The officer of Kolkata Police, however, said that such specifics will be decided in due course. The state government is taking a number of steps t

Bengal breached borrowing limit by seeking loan of Rs 10K cr from RBI: BJP

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Friday claimed that West Bengal has "breached its borrowing limit" under the Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Management (FRBM) Act by making a loan request of Rs 10,000 crore to the Reserve Bank of India. Taking to Twitter, the BJP MLA from Nandigram urged the union finance ministry to advise the state to generate internal revenues by modifying its land policy. Slamming Adhikari, state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that the "worried" legislators should take steps to ensure that the BJP-led Centre cleared the dues it owed to Bengal. Adhikari, in a tweet, wrote, "Govt of WB has raised a loan request to RBI for an amount of Rs 10,000 crore. Unfortunately, WB has already breached its borrowing limit under the Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Management (FRBM) Act. It's also alarming that Bengal's debt burden's approximately Rs 6 lakh crore." "Instead @FinMinIndia should advise the State of WB to increase internal revenues by modifying .

Cattle smuggling: ED summons arrested TMC leader's daughter, CA to Delhi

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned the daughter of arrested TMC leader Anubrata Mondal, and his chartered accountant to its Delhi office on November 2 for their questioning in connection with the agency's probe into cattle smuggling in Bengal. The two might be questioned together by ED detectives, an agency official said on Friday. "We have asked Anubrata Mondal's daughter Sukanya Mondal and his CA Manish Kothari to appear at our New Delhi office next Wednesday. We have plans to question them together," he said. Sukanya Mondal, who owns two firms, will be asked about the "huge wealth that she amassed in a short time", the official said. "Kothari has been told to bring with him all documents related to Anubrata Mondal's properties, his income and savings in different bank accounts," the ED official stated. According to sources in the ED, Sukanya Mondal was earlier, too, sent summons for appearance at the Delhi office on October 27, but she skipped the session. Her lawye