Page 5 - West Bengal

BJP President J P Nadda to address rallies in West Bengal on Sunday

BJP president J P Nadda will address two rallies in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman and Purba Medinipur districts on Sunday, party sources said. He began his two-day visit to West Bengal on Saturday evening and held a closed-door meeting in Kolkata with the party leaders to review the preparedness for the upcoming panchayat elections in the state, they said. He had last visited the state on January 19. "During the closed-door organisational meeting, Nadda ji asked the state leaders to fix the gaps and put up a fight against the TMC misrule in the state," a party leader said. On Sunday, Nadda will first visit a Kali temple at Purbasthali in Purba Bardhaman and then address a public meeting at a nearby ground. Later in the day, he will address another rally at Kanthi in Purba Medinipur district. Kanthi is the hometown of Leader of Opposition and Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari. The BJP lost both Bardhaman Purba and Kanthi Lok Sabha seats to the Trinamool Congress in the 2019 ...

GST compensation: Centre owes us Rs 2,409 crore, says West Bengal

The West Bengal government on Friday night said the Centre owes it Rs 2,409.96 crore, responding to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's statement that the state has not sent GST compensation cess claim with accountant general (AG) certificate from 2017-18 to 2021-22. Replying to assertions that West Bengal's dues have been neglected, Sitharaman in Parliament said GST compensation to states is given when the audited figures are provided but West Bengal has not submitted those since 2017. "....the Union FM made a statement that West Bengal has not sent GST compensation cess claim with AG certificate since 2017-18 to 2021-22. The state government does not agree with the statement...," it said in a statement. "For West Bengal, so far, compensation has been paid on net basis for only two years 2017-18 & 2018-19. For the rest of the periods (FY 2019-20, FY 2020-21, FY 2021-22) & the period 01.04.2022 till 30.06.2022, compensation has been released based on gross revenue. If .

Bantala leather complex will get Rs 10,000 cr additional investment: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the Bantala leather complex in Kolkata will get an additional investment of Rs 10,000 crore. In the last one year, 92 new tanneries have been given land lease for setting up units in the complex, she said. "At Bantala, Rs 30,000 crore have been invested that generated employment for three lakh people. Another Rs 10,000 crore will be invested," Banerjee said at a programme here in Howrah district. There are 50 units at Bantala and 50 more are coming up, the CM said. Banerjee on Thursday also laid the foundation stone of several projects and extended government services to six lakh people in five districts - Howrah, Hooghly, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Nadia. She said the Duare Sarkar' (government at doorstep) scheme will be held every three months. Nine crore applications for the scheme were received by the state government, of which seven crore have been considered, the chief minister said. Efforts are unde

Central dues to Bengal under MGNREGA still at Rs 7,000 crore: Mamata

Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that the total central dues to the state government under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) currently stands at Rs 7,000 crore

WBSSC to soon terminate 800 illegaly appointed teachers from service

The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) will soon terminate 800 illegally-appointed teachers at the secondary level in different state-run schools from service.

Coal scam: ED recovers Rs 1 cr from businessman's office in Kolkata

ED sleuths, probing coal-smuggling case in WB, recovered Rs 1 crore from the office of a Kolkata-based businessman after a marathon raid and search operation at his residence and office on Wednesday

Education min calls for CAG audit on misuse of PM Poshan funds in W Bengal

The Ministry of Education has asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for a special audit of alleged misuse of funds for the PM Poshan scheme in West Bengal over last three years, officials said on Wednesday. Necessary corrective action will be taken by the ministry based on the audit report, they said. "The Education Ministry has requested CAG for a Special Audit of implementation of PM Poshan scheme in the State of West Bengal for the last three financial years. This audit will encompass compliance, performance and financial audit," a senior ministry official said. "CAG is empowered to conduct this Audit under Regulations on Audit and Accounts (Amendment) 2020 framed in pursuance of Section 23 of the Comptroller and Auditor Generals (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971, (Act No 56 of 1971)," the official said. The Department of School Education and Literacy administers the PM Poshan scheme vide which funds are provided to states, based on proposals receive

Amartya Sen-Visva Bharati land row turns into political slugfest in WB

A political hullabaloo erupted over this observation of Sen, ignoring his supplementary observations on this point

Bengal govt might exceed its excise collection target for 2022-23

Going by the trend of the previous financial year of 2021-22, it seems unlikely to economists that the state government will meet the targeted collection of Rs 79,346 crore of state tax revenue

CBI to find reasons behind teacher recruitment outsourcing: Cal HC

The Calcutta High Court has directed the CBI to file a report before it within seven days on why confidential work of the West Bengal Primary Education Board related to the recruitment of teachers was outsourced to a private company. Hearing a petition in connection with alleged irregularities in the appointment of primary teachers in state government-sponsored and aided schools, the court also directed the agency to find out the mode of selection of the company. Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday to file the report by February 10 as to why the confidential work of the Board was outsourced to M/s. S.Basu Roy and Co. The court also directed the CBI to inform it in the report, which is to be submitted in a sealed cover, whether any tender was floated by the board before selecting the private company for such work. The court directed that for this purpose, the CBI should thoroughly interrogate Manik Bhattacharya, the former ...

Mamata sees through her ears: VBU vice chancellor on Amartya Sen land row

An unauthorised possession of land at Bolpur-Santiniketan in Birbhum district took murkier turn with university authorities issuing statement accusing chief minister "of seeing through her ears"

BJP announces candidates for West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh bypoll

The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday released a list of candidates for the upcoming bye-elections to be held in West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh

Centre confusing people in name of implementing CAA: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the BJP-led central government is confusing people in the name of implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Banerjee also claimed that she and her party Trinamool Congress have been taking care of the Matua community people, whose roots are in Bangladesh, and blamed the BJP for trying to approach them as a friend in the name of the CAA. "In the name of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, they (Centre) are confusing people. We have been taking care of the Matuas for a long time, but when polls approach, the BJP goes to them, claiming to be their friends... screaming CAA," Banerjee said at a government programme here. The Matuas, originally hailing from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), started migrating to West Bengal in the 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution there. The CAA facilitates the grant of citizenship to migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanista

Mamata Banerjee to leave for three-day tour to West Bengal districts

West Bengal Chief Minister West Bengal will leave for a three-day tour of Birbhum, Malda and Purba Bardhaman districts on Monday to review the administrative works there, an official said. She will also speak to Trinamool Congress workers during her tour, he said. Banerjee will inaugurate the 46th Kolkata International Book Fair on Monday and then fly to Bolpur in a chopper. On Tuesday Banerjee will visit Malda, where she is scheduled to hold a public distribution meeting, he said. "The services provided under the 'Duare Sarkar' (government at the doorstep) scheme are supposed to be distributed by Banerjee in Malda. There is also a bicycle distribution programme for students scheduled there. After that the CM will be returning to Bolpur," the official said. On Wednesday, Banerjee is likely to be present at another programme of the state government at Bolpur's Dakbangla Maidan, he said. She will be staying at Bolpur in Birbhum district in all the three days of her tour. Sources

13-member central team starts review of midday meal scheme in West Bengal

A 13-member central team on Monday started review of the midday meal scheme in schools in West Bengal, a senior official said. The joint review mission consisting of Union Education ministry officials, one nutritionist, one representative of the Unicef along with director of PM Poshan Scheme, V Bhaskar held a high-level meeting with state Education department officials, he said. The officials, who are scheduled to conduct their review till February 6, will visit schools in districts starting with North 24 Parganas on Monday. The team, which reached the city on Sunday evening, will check school infrastructure and food quality, served to school children under the mid-day meal scheme. "This is a routine visit. We carry out such reviews in the states every year. We will try to visit as many districts as possible. Today we met the officials of the School Education department. Today is a testing day," an official of the team said after the meeting. She said that they are likely to spea

Bengali is second-largest spoken language in Asia: West Bengal CM

"We must remember that we should learn our mother tongue no matter where we live," she added

Mamata urges people to uphold democratic ideals of equality, fraternity

The 74th Republic Day was celebrated with pomp and gaiety across West Bengal on Thursday amid tight security, with Governor CV Anand Bose presiding over an hour-long parade by the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, policemen and civilians, including school students. Early in the day, a military helicopter showered rose petals on Red Road, the venue of official programme here, to greet the dignitaries, including Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The governor hoisted the Tricolour on the occasion in the presence of Banerjee and a host of her cabinet colleagues, senior officials of the state and the three wings of the Indian Armed Forces. Extending his greetings to the people of the state on the occasion, Banerjee urged people to take a pledge to protect and uphold democratic ideals of justice, liberty equality and fraternity as enshrined in our Constitution". "Together, we shall strive to build a nation our founding fathers envisioned," she also tweeted. After a gap of two years,

Hand over 'unauthorised' land in Santiniketan: Visva Bharati to Amartya Sen

Claiming that Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has been occupying parts of a plot of land in an "unauthorised" manner in West Bengal's Santiniketan, the Visva Bharati has urged the economist to hand over that portion to the central university. A letter signed by the deputy registrar of the university on Tuesday said the residence of the noted economist has been built on an area, which covers extra 13 decimals of land. The university also said it was ready to undertake a joint survey of its representatives and the surveyor or advocate deputed by Sen to verify the claims if he wanted. "It has been found from records and physical survey/demarcation that you are in unauthorised occupation of 13 decimals of land belonging to Visva Bharati..." the letter said. "You are requested to hand over the said 13 decimals of land to the university at the earliest," it added. The Nobel laureate's father Asutosh Sen had taken 125 decimals of land on lease from the varsity in 1943, its spokesperson Mahua

PepsiCo Foundation, CARE bring global women farmer programme to Bengal

The programme 'She Feeds the World' focuses on strengthening the role of small-scale women producers across three dimensions: economic, social and environmental

Illegal coal mining may push WB's Raniganj towards Joshimath-like crisis

Mamata Banerjee last week said that a Joshimath-like tragedy in Raniganj will affect the lives and livelihood of over 20,000 people in the region