Page 6 - West Bengal

ED arrests TMC youth leader Kuntal Ghosh in teachers recruitment scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday arrested Trinamool Congress youth leader Kuntal Ghosh for his alleged involvement in teachers recruitment scam, a senior official said

Bengal wants to promote new tourist spots on PPP mode: Babul Supriyo

Making a strong pitch to make West Bengal a top tourism destination, state minister Babul Supriyo said the govt wants to promote spots like the Sunderbans and islands surrounded by vast waterbody

Inefficient teachers were always there: Abhijit Banerjee on teacher's scam

West Bengal Nobel Laureate economist Abhijit Banerjee said it is not a new phenomenon that inefficient teachers have penetrated the education system over multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam in WB

J P Nadda on two-day visit to West Bengal, to hold party meetings

The BJP lost the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat to the Trinamool Congress in the 2019 elections

BJP youth wing to launch 'Sampark Yatra' in border villages from Jan 20

According to the report, they will go to the border villages in Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam and Tripura to study the development works carried out by the PM Modi-led Central government

Why arrangements not made earlier?: Mamata attacks Centre on Joshimath

Criticising the Centre for allegedly not making arrangements earlier in landslide-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said the govt should work on a war footing

Bengal govt has sought immediate release of PM Awas Yojana funds: Official

The Bengal government has written to the Centre demanding immediate release of funds under the PM Awas Yojana (PMAY), underlining that the state will fail to meet its March 31 deadline for building 11 lakh houses, if there is any further delay, a senior official said. The letter, sent by the state on Monday, is a reply to the Union Ministry of Rural Development's 493-page communication, seeking details of expenses made as part of the scheme, the official said. Notably, the BJP-led central government has been sending inspection teams to Bengal to examine the allegations of corruption in the implementation of PMAY. The state, in the letter, has clarified that it has already answered all the queries of the Centre, and sought pending funds at the earliest. "It has been mentioned in the letter that the state, despite severe financial crisis, has borned 40 per cent of expensed under the Awas Yojana scheme. The letter has also stated that it will not be possible to complete the work to bu

'Gorkha Swabhiman Manch' formed to resurrect separate Gorkhaland demand

The most upfront on this issue is GJM chief Bimal Gurung, who said that for the sake of the Gorkha community's interest the separate Gorkhaland statehood is necessary

Legal crisis erupts in Bengal over slander campaign against HC judge

In 2003, late Justice Amitava Lala of Calcutta High Court, made an observation within the court that rallies on the streets of Kolkata should be banned on working days

Mid-day meal scheme in West Bengal now under central govt's scanner

A field inspection team from the Union Education Ministry will be arriving in the state to review the implementation of the scheme

Centre forms panel to review implementation of PM POSHAN scheme in Bengal

The joint review mission comprises nutrition experts and officers from the Centre and the state government

SIDBI to partner with AMFI to support Bengal's women entrepreneurs

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will partner with the Association of Microfinance Institutions of India (AMFI) to support women entrepreneurs in the backward districts of West Bengal. Deputy Managing Director of SIDBI, Sudatta Mandal, said that the women entrepreneurs will also be helped in terms of getting market and credit linkages. Speaking at the AMFI-WB micro-finance summit here, Mandal said SIDBI has already spearheaded the project in Odisha and it has been very successful. "Six backward districts of West Bengal have been identified for this purpose and 12,000 women will be given credit so that their incomes rise. This will be a two-year intervention by SIDBI," he stated. By this intervention, the average income of women will rise by at least 30 per cent, Mandal added. Alok Mishra, CEO of MFIN, a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) in the micro-finance sector, said the basic idea is of financial inclusion which had been the focus of successive governments s

Startup ecosystem improving in eastern India, West Bengal: Nasscom

The startup ecosystem in eastern India, particularly West Bengal is improving, NASSCOM (East) chairman Sanjoy Chatterjee said here on Wednesday

West Bengal gave $1.5 bn only to women: Mamata Banerjee at G20 meet

Banerjee pointed out how the state GDP had grown manifold during the tenure of her government and about 12 million jobs have been created

Former Bengal and Bihar governor Keshari Nath Tripathi dies aged 88

Keshari Nath Tripathi, former governor of West Bengal, Bihar and two other states, died at his home in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Sunday. He was 88. "Keshari Nath Tripathi had recently fallen in his house following which he broke his collarbone. Three days ago, he came back home after being discharged from a hospital. Today (on Sunday) at around 5.00 am, he breathed his last," his daughter-in-law Kavita Yadav Tripathi said. Born on November 10, 1934, in Allahabad, Tripathi served as the Governor of West Bengal from July 2014 to July 2019. Before that, he also had additional charges for short stints as the Governor of Bihar, Meghalaya and Mizoram. He was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly six times and was the Cabinet minister of institutional finance and sales tax in the state during the Janata Party regime from 1977 to 1979. A poet and author, Tripathi had practised as a senior advocate at Allahabad High Court and was the BJP president in Uttar Pradesh for some .

To prevent drunk driving, Kolkata bars asked to start breathalyser tests

Bars in Kolkata were directed by the police to use breathalysers on customers, and prevent those found to be drunk beyond the permissible limit from driving back home. Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal on Saturday said the directive was issued to all bars in the city to prevent drunk driving. "Drunk driving is a legal offence. It's the reason for several road accidents. We have already sent a directive to all the bars in the city to purchase breathalysers to test every person leaving the bar after drinking. The bars must not allow them to drive back home in case they are found intoxicated beyond a certain level," he said. If a person is found to be drinking excessively, the bars must ensure that he is not driving or riding a bike, Goyal said. "The bar will arrange for the person to reach home by other means. If necessary, they can also take the help of the police," he added. The bars would give slips to those undergoing the tests, and these slips can be shown at checkpoints

Genome sequencing detects four cases of Omicron sub-variant BF.7 in Bengal

Four cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7 were detected in West Bengal, a health official said on Wednesday. Genome sequencing of the four people, who have recently returned from the US, confirmed that they were infected with the new variant of the coronavirus, he said. The condition of the four patients is stable, he said. Of the four people, three are from Nadia district, while one person hails from Bihar but currently resides in Kolkata, the official told PTI. Last week, two persons, including a foreign national, tested positive for COVID-19 at Kolkata airport, and their genome sequencing later confirmed they were infected with the BF.7 subvariant of Omicron.

West Bengal govt is good for nothing, says Cong MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

The party's Rajya Sabha MP Pradeep Bhattacharya also condemned the attack on Vande Bharat train, saying it is the failure of the chief minister "twice in a row"

Mamata to visit Sagar Island to review preparations for Gangasagar Mela

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be visiting the Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district on Wednesday to review the preparations for the Gangasagar Mela, officials said. Lakhs of people gather at Sagar Island from across the country to take a holy dip at the confluence of the sacred Ganga and the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'. While 15.5 lakh pilgrims visited Gangasagar Mela last year amid the threat of the coronavirus, the figure could reach as high as 60-70 lakh between January 8 and 16 when the fair would be held this time, an official said. During her two-day visit to the island, Banerjee will be meeting senior officers to review the preparations made for the congregation, the official said. "She will also be inaugurating three new helipads at the island," he said. Before leaving for Kolkata on Thursday, around 120 km away, she will be offering prayers at the Kapil Muni Ashram. Banerjee is also expected to visit the Bharat Sevashram Sangh

West Bengal govt expects huge pilgrim turnout in Ganga Sagar Mela

In the absence of Kumbh Mela this year, the West Bengal government expects a huge footfall at the annual Gangasagar Mela next week and has taken all measures for a successful hosting of the congregation, a senior official said on Tuesday. Lakhs of Hindu pilgrims gather in Sagar Island from different parts of the country and outside to take a holy dip at the confluence of the sacred Ganga and the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'. Officers in the rank of deputy superintendent of police will be deployed to oversee the security of the fair site, who will use satellite phones, drones and CCTV cameras, South 24 Parganas District Magistrate Sumit Gupta said. "As there is no Kumbh Mela this year, we are expecting a huge gathering at the Gangasagar mela. Besides, the Covid scare is not as intense as it was earlier. We have taken all measures keeping this in mind, Gupta told PTI. While 15.5 lakh pilgrims visited Ganga Sagar Mela last year, the figure could reach as high as