Page 32 - Tmc

West Bengal's debt per capita stands at an estimate of more than Rs 60,000

With a population of around nine crore and cumulative debt of Rs 5.86 lakh crore, debt per capita in West Bengal stands at a conservative estimate of more than Rs 60,000. When the ruling Trinamool Congress assumed office in 2011, the total debt of the state stood at Rs 1.97 lakh crore. In the budget for 2023-24 presented in the state assembly on Tuesday, the West Bengal government has proposed to raise money from the market to the tune of Rs 79,000 crore, compared to the 2022-23 revised figure of Rs 75,000 crore. Noted economist Ajitava Ray Chaudhuri said, "The present generation has contracted such a debt stock which has to be repaid by the future generation". "If a such high debt is backed by equivalent assets created, the burden on future generation will be lower," Ray Chaudhuri said. The state's tax revenue for the year 2023-24 is also projected to be Rs 89,000 crore, in contrast to Rs 79,500 crore in the revised figure for 2022-23.

Freebies won't lead to sustainable growth: Top economist on Bengal budget

The West Bengal Budget for 2023-24 was "full of announcements, which can be misleading", said senior BJP leader and noted economist Ashok Lahiri, underscoring that extending freebies will not lead to sustainable growth. The TMC government is known for spending money on 'revdi' politics, handing out freebies which ultimately does not lead to sustained growth, he noted. Infrastructure holds the key in West Bengal, but the roads here are in shambles, he alleged. "The revenue expenditure in the current fiscal was Rs 8,000 crore more than what they had budgeted. Accordingly, the government had to spend much less on capital account. If not much is spent on capital account, how will roads, bridges and ports be built? Lahiri, also a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission, underlined. "The road infrastructure in West Bengal is in shambles. The NH-34, which connects Kolkata to Siliguri, does not look like a national highway, but resembles the streets of Bow Bazaar at times. Similarly, th

LIVE: Cabinet approves induction of 9,000 more ITBP troops for China border

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Teachers' scam: ED identifies lottery angle for conversion of money

Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam in West Bengal has reportedly procured some vital clues that hint towards the arrested youth TMC leader, Kuntal Ghosh.

Pralhad Joshi seeks apology after Mahua Moitra uses offensive word in Parl

She allegedly used some unparliamentary language regarding BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri as per the eyewitnesses. After which, BJP MPs started a ruckus in the Lower House

Rajnath, Yogi to hold rallies, Mamata to join road show in Tripura today

Senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Yogi Adityanath will address two election rallies each in Tripura on Tuesday. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will also hold a road show in the northeastern state where elections to the 60-member assembly will be held on February 16. During the day, Singh, the country's defence minister, will address two rallies of the ruling BJP at Kailashahar in Unakoti district and at Badarghat in West Tripura. Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, will also hold two rallies at Bagabassa in North Tripura district and at Kalyanpur in Khowai. Banerjee's roadshow is scheduled to begin at noon in the state capital Agartala. Security arrangements have been tightened in the northeastern state in view of the scheduled visit of the political leaders. Notably, Union Home Minister and Senior BJP leader Amit Shah had on Monday held two rallies and a road show in the poll-bound Tripura. Shah had alleged that Tipra Motha has a "sec

BJP slams TMC's Abhishek Banerjee over his remark on Bengal Panchayat polls

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee made a statement where he said, If anyone, be it from any party, has difficulty in filing a nomination for West Bengal Panchayat elections, I will process it for them

TMC releases manifesto for Tripura polls, vows Bengal model of development

The Trinamool Congress released its manifesto for the Tripura assembly elections on Sunday, promising 2 lakh new jobs, Rs 1,000 per month for school students in classes 4 to 8 and unemployed youths, and social welfare schemes on the lines of those in West Bengal. The manifesto was launched a day ahead of party chief Mamata Banerjee's visit to the state. The TMC is fighting 28 assembly seats in the February 16 election. Addressing a press conference, West Bengal education minister Bratya Basu said that if the party is voted to power in the state, it will create 2 lakh jobs in five years with 50,000 new jobs in the first year itself. "All vacant posts in the government departments will be filled up on mission mode," he said. "The TMC will provide assistance of Rs 1,000 per month to jobless youths, and 10,323 retrenched teachers will also get the benefit until their legal matter is resolved," he said. The TMC promised a skill university, student credit cards and easy loans for those

Mamata holds meeting of TMC's Birbhum unit, oversees poll preparations

West Bengal Chief Minister on Monday held an organisational meeting of the TMC's Birbhum district unit, and took stock of the party's preparedness ahead of the rural polls. The district unit's president Anubrata Mondal was last year arrested by the CBI for his alleged involvement in a cattle smuggling scam. Banerjee, who is on a tour of various districts from Monday, held a closed-door meeting in Bolpur, and inducted three new leaders in the district core committee, which was formed after the arrest of Mondal. During the meeting, the party supremo (Banerjee) oversaw the preparedness for the panchayat polls (due this year). She also inducted Kajal Sheikh, MP Satabdi Roy and MP Asit Mal into the district core committee, a TMC leader said. This was Banerjee's first visit to the district after the arrest of Mondal, a staunch loyalist of the party chief. His three-decade-long political career has been marked by controversies and strong-arm tactics. Mondal was arrested in August last y

Parliament's Budget session from Tuesday, Congress yet to show its hand

MPs feel that for the first time, the Congress is playing its cards close to its chest as no party leader is likely to be present at the meeting (they are unable to return from the Bharat Jodo Yatra)

Derek O'Brien says Twitter deleted post on BBC documentary critical of PM

TMC MP Derek O'Brien has alleged that a tweet by him on a BBC documentary which he claimed "exposed" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stand on minorities has been deleted by Twitter. Posting a mail from the microblogging site which said his tweet was deleted on the request of the Indian government claiming it violated laws in India, O'Brien termed it as "censorship ". "CENSORSHIP. Twitter India HAS TAKEN DOWN MY TWEET of the #BBCDocumentary, it received lakhs of views. The 1-hour BBC documentary exposes how PM Narendra Modi HATES MINORITIES," the TMC leader alleged. He also posted the mail he received from Twitter. "Also see flimsy reason given. Opposition will continue to fight the good fight," the Rajya Sabha MP said in a tweet.

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

Trinamool Congress, BJP exchange barbs on Nandigram anniversary

The Trinamool Congress and BJP mourned the 2007 killing of 14 persons protesting a planned chemical hub here on Saturday by holding rival functions, exchanging political barbs. Interestingly both programmes, held at a distance of barely 100 meters were held under the banner of Bhumi Uchhed Protirodh Committee (BUPC or Land Disposition Protest Committee), which supported by Mamata Banerjee had put up a stiff resistance to the government's plans to acquire fertile land near the sea for a proposed chemical hub by MNCs. TMC state general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh chose to attack opposition BJP and its Nandigram lawmaker Suvendu Adhikari, an erstwhile TMC leader who defected to the saffron party ahead of the 2021 state election, while paying floral tributes at a memorial there. "CPI-M harmads (goons) who were behind the massacre have now turned saffron. Suvendu Adhikari has done a great disservice to the people of Nandigram by joining hands with those who were behind the .

Over 96% of TMC's income came from electoral bonds in 2021-22: Audit report

Over 96 per cent of income of the Trinamool Congress in 2021-22 came from electoral bonds, according to the party's annual audit report, which also showed that its income from these bonds rose from Rs 42 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 528.14 crore in 2021-22. An electoral bond is a financial tool for enabling donations to political parties. The report, which was released on Friday, stated that out of a total income of Rs 545.74 crore of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2021-22, as much as Rs 528.14 crore came from electoral bonds. It also said that Rs 14.36 crore came from fees/subscriptions/collections from primary party members. The TMC showed Rs 42 crore income from electoral bonds in 2020-21, according to the report. The party's expenditure also rose after it won the assembly elections in West Bengal in 2021. The TMC's expenditure was Rs 132.52 crore in 2020-2021 which increased to Rs 268.33 crore in 2021-2022. The report was submitted to the Election Commission.

Stones pelted at Vande Bharat in Bengal Malda; BJP, TMC engage in slugfest

The train was not stopped mid-way after the incident took place at 5.10 pm on Monday and it halted at its designated stoppage at Malda Town railway station, the official said

BJP's ideology is to be self-centred, TMC abides by Constitution: Mamata

Mamata hit out at BJP and said that its ideology is to be "self-centred " while her party Trinamool Congress abides by the Constitution

Mamata launches party outreach programme, lashes out at opponents

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out at both her opponents in the state BJP and the CPI(M) led Left Front - claiming the ideological opposites, 'Ram-Baam' (BJP-Left), had allied covertly. Launching her party's new outreach programme titled Didir Suraksha Kavach (Didi's Protective Shield)', Banerjee said, Even if one weed attacks our paddy, the whole crop could be ruined, while cautioning her workers to root out corruption ahead of Panchayat polls to be held in the next few months. Around 3.5 lakh Trinamool Congress workers will reach out to the around 10 crore people of the state to check if they are benefitted from government projects, she said. Banerjee said a proper vigilance system at the party level will be put in place to weed out rotten elements. Her party functionaries have been facing a series of corruption charges and two prominent leaders have been arrested in the year gone by. "A proper vigilance system will be put in place to

Saket Gokhale arrested again, accused of misuse of money from crowd-funding

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale was arrested by Gujarat police from Delhi late Thursday evening in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowdfunding, said a senior official here. Gokhale was arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch and was being brought here for further legal process, said the senior police official, adding that they would arrive by Friday afternoon. This was for the third time Gokhale was arrested this month by Gujarat Police. He was first arrested by the Cyber Crime Branch on December 6 for allegedly spreading fake news regarding the cost incurred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Morbi town following a bridge collapse tragedy. On December 1, Gokhale had shared a news clipping about information purportedly obtained through the Right to Information claiming that Modi's visit to Morbi after the bridge collapse cost Rs 30 crore. Soon after he received bail from a court here, the TMC leader was again arrested on ...

TMC's Binoy Tamang quits party, hours after change of guard in Darjeeling

He said that he would dedicate his life to the people of his region and to restore democracy and stop corruption in the hill town

Jailed TMC leader Anubrata's aide joins BJP due to 'lack of opportunity'

A close aide of jailed Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal on Tuesday joined the BJP, citing an "increasingly difficult working situation" and "lack of opportunity" in the West Bengal's ruling party to serve the people. TMC's Birbhum district vice president Biplab Ojha switched over to the saffron camp at a meeting attended by leader of opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said Ojha's move will not have any impact on the party's performance in panchayat polls due next year. In an apparent reference to Trinamool Congress' Anubrata Mondal, Adhikari said, "A big leader, who used to be a fish seller, is poised to go to Tihar jail. His associate is already there." Notably, Sehegal Hossain, the former bodyguard of Mondal, was arrested in connection with a cattle smuggling case and is now lodged in Tihar jail. The Central Bureau of Investigation, in August, arrested Mondal in connection with its probe into the case. "Big .