Page 3 - West Bengal

Smart meter rollout to start in West Bengal from July, says Manohar Lal

Power minister Manohar Lal says the phased programme will cover nearly two crore consumers, with smart meters first being installed in government offices and campuses

TMC's Abhishek roughed up during visit to post-poll violence-hit Sonarpur

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was roughed up on Saturday, allegedly by locals, when he visited West Bengal's Sonarpur area to meet families of post-poll violence victims, police said. Stones, shoes and eggs were hurled at the MP by unidentified people who even attempted to rain blows and kicks on him, while they shouted 'thief, thief' slogans at Banerjee. Television visuals from the spot showed Banerjee being escorted out of the area wearing a helmet, with his shirt torn during the commotion. "Look what they have done to me. This was pre-planned. There is no police in the area. They want to kill me. I will not leave this place till police send their force and offer protection to the victims' families," Banerjee said while meeting the kin of a deceased post-poll violence victim. Local women, holding broomsticks and bamboo sticks, gathered outside the house of the TMC party worker where Banerjee visited. Questioning the purpose of his visit, they raised slogans ..

Bengal to implement National Health Mission, receives ₹2,103 cr from Centre

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said the state is set to implement the National Health Mission, and the Centre has sanctioned Rs 2,103 crore for the scheme. Addressing a programme of the health department in Kolkata, Adhikari also said that over 1.36 crore families will be covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Bengal. "This will ensure that a large section of the population in the state receives quality healthcare support," he said. "West Bengal will implement the National Health Mission. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 2,103 crore for the scheme, out of which we have already received Rs 527 crore. These funds will help improve healthcare delivery across the state," Adhikari said. The CM also said control rooms are being set up to oversee and monitor district hospitals across the state.

Senior advocate Surojit Nath Mitra named West Bengal advocate general

Senior advocate Surojit Nath Mitra was appointed as the advocate general of West Bengal on Friday, according to an official notification. The notification issued by the state judicial department said the governor has appointed Mitra as the state's top law officer under Clause (1) of Article 165 of the Constitution. The appointment takes effect from Friday afternoon itself, it added. The development came following Kishore Datta's resignation as the advocate general of West Bengal, a day after the Assembly poll results were declared.

Bengal leather industry fears raw material shortage amid slaughter curbs

The leather industry in West Bengal is apprehensive of a raw material shortage as strict enforcement of animal slaughter regulations by the state government is set to disrupt supplies of cow and buffalo hides, traders said. The impact is likely to be visible after Eid al-Adha, traditionally a peak season for hide availability, as Muslim clerics claimed that cow sacrifice during the Eid celebrations in the state on Thursday dropped to "negligible levels" under the stringent regulations, which the community chose to abide by. Indian Leather Products Association (ILPA) president Md Azhar told PTI that the raw material shortage could worsen the situation for the industry, an already stressed sector facing weak global demand and logistical disruptions. "This is not only about Bakrid. The concern is over stricter regulations on cattle slaughtering and sale and purchase of cows and buffaloes, which will impact overall hide availability," Azhar said. Traditionally, after Eid al-Adha, hides

West Bengal hands over 142.79 acres to BSF, says CM Suvendu Adhikari

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday stated that the government has initiated intensified measures to strengthen border security by facilitating the construction of BSF outposts and barbed-wire fencingAdhikari said additional land has now been handed over to the Border Security Force, taking the total tally to 142.79 acres.In a post on X, Adhikari said, "Govt of WB has initiated intensified measures to strengthen Border Security by facilitating construction of BSF Outposts & Barbed-Wire Fencing, further enhancing security in the Border areas. Additional land has now been handed over to BSF, taking the total tally to 142.79 acres."According to the data shared by Adhikari, Murshidabad accounts for the highest allocation at 38.805 acres, followed by Jalpaiguri with 35.165 acres and Cooch Behar with 22.95 acres."As part of this ongoing initiative, a substantial amount of land has already been distributed across nine districts. The breakdown of the land ...

TMC''s Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigns from all party posts

Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigned from all organisational posts of the Trinamool Congress on Wednesday, days after publicly airing her disappointment with the party leadership. The move came a day after she attended Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's administrative review meeting in Kalyani despite her party allegedly instructing her not to participate in it. Dastidar was the national president of the TMC's women's wing and was associated with the party's "Banga Janani" programme. She, however, continues as the MP of the Barasat Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. In a letter addressed to TMC state president Subrata Bakshi, the four-term Barasat MP resigned from all organisational responsibilities in the party, sources said. They said that she has informed the party that she could no longer continue with these responsibilities. The development is likely to deepen speculation over the evolving equations within the TMC, following its electoral setback and a string of pub

State working on land, data centre policies: West Bengal BJP chief

West Bengal's new BJP leadership has promised fresh land and data centre policies, along with incentives and tax breaks, to attract investment and revive industrial growth in the state

West Bengal announces free travel for women in state-run buses from June 1

As part of the implementation mechanism, the state government will introduce a Smart Card (digital with QR code) for beneficiaries

'TMC melting down faster than ice': CPI(M) eyes opposition space in Bengal

Claiming that the Trinamool Congress is "melting down faster than ice" in this summer heat, the CPI(M) is hopeful of taking over the opposition space in BJP-ruled West Bengal from the Mamata Banerjee-led party. CPI(M) West Bengal general secretary Mohammed Salim asserted that the Left parties, particularly the CPI(M), are already at the "forefront" of taking on their ideological opponents, the RSS and BJP, in the state. "And now, since the Trinamool Congress is melting faster than ice in this heat, it is our task now not only theoretically but also practically to be the primary opposition to the BJP in West Bengal," Salim said. "It is difficult but not impossible to retrieve the Left ecosystem in West Bengal and to be at the forefront of the people's struggles for their democratic and constitutional rights," he told PTI in an interview. Salim claimed that not only his party but also the people of West Bengal are hopeful that the CPI(M)-led Left Front will take over the opposition .

Bengal govt notifies free travel for women in state-run buses from June 1

The West Bengal government has notified free bus travel for women in all state government-run buses from June 1 as part of a scheme aimed at enhancing women's empowerment and improving access to public transport. According to a notification issued by the state Transport Department on May 21, women commuters will be eligible for free travel in both short-route and long-route state-run buses operating in West Bengal. The Transport department notification said a smart card with QR code, photograph and beneficiary details will be issued to all eligible women upon application through the BDO or SDO offices concerned. It said that the smart card shall be issued to women of the state on the basis of supporting documents like Aadhaar card, elector's photo identity card (EPIC), VB-G RAMG job card, Ayushman Bharat health card, driving license, Pan card, passport, pension document with photograph, identity card of central/state government/psus, identity cards issues by ...

Bengal govt bars staff from sharing information with media without sanction

The West Bengal government has issued a circular reiterating existing conduct rules for its employees, which prohibit them from sharing official documents or information with the media without sanction and publicly criticising state and central policies. A circular issued by the office of the chief secretary said the existing conduct rules governing members of the All India Services, West Bengal Civil Service, West Bengal Police Service and other state government employees would be strictly enforced. "The idea is to remind employees of the provisions already laid down in the conduct rules regarding interaction with the media and dissemination of information," an official told PTI. The circular referred to provisions of the AIS Conduct Rules, 1968, and the West Bengal Government Servants' Conduct Rules, 1959. Government employees have been prohibited from directly or indirectly sharing any document or information with the media without approval, the official said. It also bars ...

Polling begins for re-election to Falta assembly seat in West Bengal

Voting began on Thursday morning for the re-election to the Falta assembly seat in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, amid tight security, officials said. More than 2.36 lakh people, including 1.15 lakh women and nine belonging to the third gender, are eligible to cast their votes across 285 booths in this re-election, which commenced at 7 am, they said. The repoll was ordered due to "severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process" on April 29, when voting in Falta was held in the second phase of the assembly elections, the officials said. A total of six candidates are in the fray, including TMC's Jahangir Khan, who announced he was withdrawing from the race on Tuesday. Even as Khan announced pulling out from the contest, his name remained on the EVMs as he couldn't officially withdraw his candidature. Among other candidates are Debangshu Panda of the BJP, CPI(M)'s Sambhu Nath Kurmi, and Congress' Abdur Razzak Molla. A total of 35 companies of the Centra

Shyam Metalics eyes fresh investments in West Bengal amid expansion plans

Shyam Metalics plans to invest Rs 20,000 crore in West Bengal, including expansion at Kharagpur and Jamuria, subject to the new industrial policy

Messi tour organiser files complaint against ex-Bengal min Aroop Biswas

Lionel Messi tour organiser, Satadru Dutta, lodged a police complaint against TMC leader and former West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas and three others, including the state's former top cop, alleging they were responsible for the chaos that unfolded at the Salt Lake stadium last December and that he was made a "scapegoat" out of it. Dutta lodged the complaint at the Bidhannagar South police station on Monday evening, in which he also named former DGP and TMC Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Kumar, the minister's kin and Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillor Juin Biswas and I&CA department secretary Shantanu Basu, holding them responsible for the stadium mayhem. The event organiser, who was subsequently arrested and spent 38 days in jail, sought police intervention, alleging unlawful intrusion into restricted security zones of the field, collapse of perimeter control and disruption during the high-profile programme held at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, also known as Salt ...

Bengal govt sanctions prosecution of ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh

The West Bengal government on Monday sanctioned the prosecution of former R G Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh in connection with a case of financial irregularities linked to the institution. An order issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare stated the governor, being the competent authority, accorded sanction for Ghosh's prosecution under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It also stated that the sanction was granted after "fully and carefully examining" the case materials and records, including the FIR and related documents. The case pertains to alleged financial irregularities in procurement and allied matters at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital during Ghosh's tenure as principal. The Calcutta High Court, through an August 23, 2024, order in connection with a plea, had directed a probe into the matter, after which the FIR registered at Tal

Bengal approves ₹3,000 monthly aid scheme for women, scraps state OBC list

The West Bengal cabinet on Monday approved the 'Annapurna' scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to women from June 1, and allowed free travel for them in government-run buses. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, state minister Agnimitra Paul said women, who applied for citizenship under the CAA and approached tribunals for inclusion in voter rolls, will also receive 'Annapurna' scheme benefits. "The cabinet gave a nod to the 'Annapurna' scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to women from June 1. It also approved a proposal to allow free travel for women in government-run buses from June 1," the minister said. The government also approved the constitution of the 7th state pay commission for its employees, and staffers in allied statutory civic bodies, education boards and those working in state-run education institutions, she said. "The Bengal cabinet decided to discontinue government assistance to groups based on religious categorisation from June. The government also

Jute industry seeks new Bengal govt's help to tackle raw material shortage

Amid an acute shortage of raw material and spiralling prices, jute millers in West Bengal are seeking the new BJP government's intervention to avert large-scale mill closures and job losses, industry sources said. At least 14 mills across the Hooghly industrial belt have either suspended operations or are facing severe production disruptions due to non-availability of raw jute and unviable costs, according to Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) sources. "With the last JBA (Jute Balers' Association) rate frozen at Rs 17,100 per quintal, trade banned, and the new crop ten weeks away, Bengal's mills are being asked to run operations without raw material," a former IJMA chairman told PTI. Millers hope that the new government will act for the "release of residual stocks, permission for emergency imports, and restoration of a viable price corridor to support mills where two lakh workers are engaged", he said. According to the millers' estimates, around 75,000 workers are already facing

Centre tapping Big Tech companies for data centres, R&D in West Bengal

The Centre has approached global technology giants and Indian conglomerates to invest in data centres, R&D hubs, GCCs and semiconductor projects in West Bengal

West Bengal rice industry seeks infra push, faster clearances from BJP govt

The rice industry in West Bengal, the country's largest rice-producing state, has sought better infrastructure, faster approvals and stronger export promotion from the new BJP government in the state to boost growth and investments in the sector. Ricevilla Foods CEO Suraj Agarwal said the industry was looking for improvement in infrastructure for rice mills and warehouses, particularly in rural areas where poor roads, drainage systems and delayed electricity connections continue to affect operations. "In many rural districts, electricity connections for new rice mills take months, causing delays, higher project costs and harassment. The industry expects faster services and proper infrastructure support from the government," Agarwal said. He said modern storage and logistics infrastructure has become increasingly important as India's annual rice production crossed 1,500 lakh tonnes and government rice stocks exceeded 590 lakh tonnes. The industry has also demanded a single-window ..