Bengal clears Sech-Bandhu Prakalpa to boost irrigation

The West Bengal cabinet today cleared a farmer-friendly project (Sech-Bandhu Prakalpa) offering 46,000 new pump sets with power connectivity to the farmers to boost irrigation in the state.
Announcing this after the cabinet meeting which was chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, state's Higher Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said this would help the farmers in a big way and keep them away from illegal power consumption.
As a result, it would help reduce power theft and improve regularised power supply in rural Bengal, he said.
Besides, the state cabinet today upgraded 100 class-VIII standard schools in the state to secondary standard and 400 secondary schools to Higher Secondary standard with effect from the 2015-16 academic year, Chatterjee said.

With this, a total of 1,000 posts of teachers at secondary level and 1,200 posts of teachers at higher secondary level would be created in the state, he said.
The state cabinet also decided that all colleges have to launch its own website for introduction of online admission process from the 2015-16 academic year, Chatterjee said adding his department has already sanctioned Rs 1.5 lakh to each college for the purpose.
Besides, the state cabinet approved ten acres of land at New Town Rajarhat to the private Amity University for their campus and also sanctioned a financial grant to the Adyapith Annada Vidyamandir responding a request by the school authority, the minister added.