Page 4 - West Bengal

4,000 EVMs destroyed in Bengal government building fire; probe underway

West Bengal minister Kaushik Chowdhury on Thursday said that around 4,000 EVMs were gutted in a government building fire here, as the police launched an investigation following the registration of an FIR in connection with the incident. A massive fire broke out on Wednesday at the nine-storey building in south Kolkata's Alipore area. The building also housed the South 24 Parganas Zilla Parishad office, apart from other departments. "Around 4,000 EVMs were destroyed in the fire. Those EVMs were used in 10 constituencies during this year's assembly elections in the state," the minister of state for fire and emergency services said. After visiting the site, Chowdhury said, "It does not appear to be a normal fire. We are examining whether there was any sabotage. It is still not clear how the fire reached the ninth and tenth floors." He said the blaze was first noticed on the second and third floors of the building. "How did it reach the seventh and eighth floors without affecting the

'BJP govt to bring Tatas back': Bengal CM attacks TMC over industry policy

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said the BJP government would bring the Tata Group back in the state, and accused the previous Left and TMC regimes of either forcibly acquiring land or merely indulging in "photo sessions" in the name of industrialisation. Addressing a press conference here, Adhikari promised to revive West Bengal's industrial fortunes and said his government would attract investment and create jobs without repeating the mistakes that had triggered the Singur and Nandigram agitations. "We will bring back the Tatas in Bengal," the chief minister asserted, referring to the conglomerate whose small-car project at Singur in Hooghly district was shifted to Gujarat in 2008 following a prolonged land acquisition dispute. In a pointed attack on the opposition TMC, Adhikari alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government spent years making claims about industrial revival without delivering tangible results. "We don't want to indulge in lies and organise pho

Fresh setback for TMC as MP Prakash Baraik resigns from party, Rajya Sabha

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Upper House on Thursday, the third party MP to quit this week. Baraik met Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan and submitted his resignation, sources said. In his resignation letter, the West Bengal MP wrote, "I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect." He also thanked the chairman, deputy chairman and officials of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat for their cooperation during his tenure. A tribal leader from West Bengal, Baraik was serving as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the Consultative Committee on Tribal Affairs. His resignation comes amid a series of exits from the Trinamool Congress. On Monday, Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned from the Upper House and subsequently announced his decision to quit the Trinamool Congress, citing differences with the party ...

Swapan Dasgupta new Bengal finance minister, Tapas Roy gets industry

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari allocates key portfolios; retains home department while assigning education, health and agriculture ministries to senior BJP leaders

West Bengal govt distributes portfolios among newly sworn ministers

Newly sworn-in West Bengal ministers were allocated portfolios on Wednesday, with Swapan Dasgupta given charge of the finance department and Tapas Roy named industries minister. The portfolios were distributed among 13 Cabinet ministers and 22 ministers of state, including three with independent charge. BJP MLA from Bidhannagar, Sharadwat Mukherjee, was named health minister, Dudh Kumar Mondal got the charge of the agriculture department, journalist-turned-politician Jagannath Chattopadhyay was appointed to the higher education minister, and Dipak Barman was awarded the school education department. Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh has been named tourism and parliamentary affairs minister, while Arjun Singh has been given the responsibility of labour and transport departments. Among the ministers of state with independent charge, Indranil Khan has been awarded the sports and youth, and consumer affairs portfolios, while Malati Rava Roy got the charge of the women and child development ...

Two factions, two directions: TMC split exposes ideological divide

The unfolding crisis within the TMC presents one of the most unusual paradoxes in recent West Bengal history: a simultaneous fragmentation of the party's legislative and parliamentary wings each charting sharply divergent ideological directions, yet both claiming to represent the "real" political essence of the organisation. The majority of MLAs, who formed the breakaway faction of the TMC's legislative party and secured legitimacy in the state assembly, vowed "constructive opposition" and simultaneously positioned themselves against the BJP's politics in Bengal, while the rebel Lok Sabha parliamentarians of the party followed suit five days later, only to pledge their allegiance to the BJP-led NDA. Both factions sought to legitimise their actions by invoking the cause of broader "development of Bengal", contending that the state's progress had been "impeded" during the Mamata Banerjee regime. On June 3, expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, backed by a bloc of 58 of 80 TMC legislators

FM Sitharaman to review flagship schemes, RRBs in West Bengal: Report

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will soon review the implementation of various flagship schemes, including Jan Dhan, Mudra and PM Vishwakarma, with public sector banks and regional rural banks in West Bengal, government sources said. Last month, BJP came to power with a landslide victory in West Bengal replacing Trinamool Congress, which had ruled the state for 15 years. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had met Sitharaman in New Delhi on Monday. The sources said Sitharaman will also review the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme to strengthen capital infrastructure in Bengal. She will assess the saturation drive of various flagship schemes like PMJDY, Mudra, PM Vishwakarma and Kisan Credit Card in Bengal. The minister will also review the RRBs in the state, sources said, adding credit offtake will also be discussed in the meeting. This would help the state contribute to India's growth journey in industrial development, expanding ...

Earthquake of magnitude 5.6 hits Bhutan, tremors felt in Northeast, Bengal

Tremors were felt across Sikkim and parts of north Bengal after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Bhutan late on Sunday, officials said. Tremors lasted for a few seconds, and there was no immediate report of any loss of life or property damage in these states, they said. According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake took place at 11.06 pm near Punakha in Bhutan. Residents in Gangtok and other parts of Sikkim said they felt tremors for a few seconds, prompting many to rush out of their homes as a precaution. A Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority official said the situation is being monitored. People in some places of Siliguri city and in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts in West Bengal said they felt the tremors and came out of their residences. There was no report of injury to any person or damage to property in these places of north Bengal adjoining Bhutan, the officials said.

Out of power, in existential crisis? TMC struggles to contain a split

TMC's split after its poll defeat has weakened Bengal's Opposition, potentially giving the BJP greater political space and a freer hand to push its agenda

4,800 illegal immigrants sent to B'desh, 836 awaiting deportation: WB CM

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said around 4,800 illegal immigrants have been sent to Bangladesh from holding centres set up in the state's border districts, and around 836 such people are awaiting deportation from these facilities. Adhikari asserted that illegal immigration was a big issue, and said his government has already handed over land to the BSF to erect around 100 km of fencing, out of the 556 km required to secure the India-Bangladesh border. The land handover is a continuous process and is necessary for the security of the country, he said, adding that securing the international boundary is the state government's priority. "We have handed over to the BSF around 100 km stretch of land out of 556 km required for fencing, and prioritised the Chicken's Neck corridor in north Bengal," the chief minister said, while addressing a preparatory meeting for the BJP's special training camp. The 'Chicken's Neck', officially known as the Siliguri Corridor, is a

West Bengal to become 36th state/UT to implement AB-PMJAY scheme

Marking a major milestone in India's journey towards universal health coverage, the West Bengal government is set to join the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the publicly funded health assurance scheme, on Monday. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the implementation of the AB PM-JAY scheme in the state will be signed between the National Health Authority (NHA), under the aegis of the Union Health Ministry and West Bengal's Department of Health and Family Welfare at Vigyan Bhawan, an official statement said With the signing of the MoU, West Bengal will become the 36th state/Union Territory in the country to implement AB PM-JAY. The MoU signing ceremony will be presided over by Union Health Minister J P Nadda, in the presence of the West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is a centrally sponsored scheme that provides health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to eligible .

After mayor's exit, Bengal govt asks why KMC board should not be dissolved

The West Bengal government has asked the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to explain why its board should not be dissolved, issuing a show-cause notice after senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim resigned as mayor and plunging the city's civic administration into fresh uncertainty. The Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department served a show-cause notice on the KMC under provisions of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980, directing it to explain within three days why action should not be initiated against the civic body. The move came less than 24 hours after Hakim quit as mayor on Friday, saying he was no longer in a position to function effectively and did not wish to continue merely occupying the chair without authority. In the notice, the BJP government contended that the civic body was failing to discharge its obligations towards Kolkata's residents and that the resignation of the mayor could adversely affect the normal functioning of the corporation and delivery of

Bengal rail projects stalled by TMC will now accelerate: Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday alleged that several railway and metro projects in West Bengal were stalled for years due to a "lack of cooperation" from the previous TMC government, and asserted that work would now be expedited following what he described as a change in the state's approach. During a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat Nabanna, Vaishnaw claimed the railway projects in Bengal had faced repeated hurdles over permissions, land issues and legal challenges under the TMC regime, which he dubbed 'vikas virodhi' (anti-development). He also said sixty next-generation trains would be introduced for the Kolkata Metro in the next five years. "The previous government had blocked all forms of development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has plans for Bengal, and that is evident from the Rs 14,205 crore allotted for railway projects in the state. Under the UPA government, Bengal got Rs 4,000 crore," Vaishnaw claimed. Highlighting the pa

Bengal's political shift creates an opening for eastern integration

Even during periods of geopolitical strain, trade through the land frontier has remained resilient

Centre's ₹19k crore Bengal maritime plan expected to generate 62k jobs

West Bengal's ₹19,209-crore maritime pipeline aims to boost the blue economy, strengthen logistics and create over 62,000 jobs

Mamata's post-poll crisis: Can she contain the rebellion within TMC?

For a politician who built her career on defiance, resilience and an instinctive understanding of Bengal's political pulse, the past month -- the one that marks the aftermath of the West Bengal Assembly election results -- has been nothing short of a political earthquake for Mamata Banerjee. Exactly a month ago, Banerjee remained the undisputed face of the Trinamool Congress, commanding a formidable legislative force. But the party's crushing electoral defeat at the hands of the BJP dramatically altered the political landscape. The setback was made more personal by her own loss from Bhabanipur to her archrival and, as most would like to qualify, her nemesis -- Suvendu Adhikari -- from a constituency long regarded as her political fortress. The poll results shrank the TMC's strength in the Assembly to 80 MLAs, leaving Banerjee to lead the opposition from a position of unprecedented weakness. The party had 215 MLAs in the 2021 state polls. Yet, what appeared to be a devastating ...

Our bid for TMC legislature party status got Speaker nod, claims Ritabrata

Expelled TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday said the West Bengal Assembly speaker had accepted the rebel camp's bid to be recognised as the party's legislature wing and urged Mamata Banerjee to serve as its chief adviser. This came after 58 dissident MLAs backed legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, who has been expelled from the TMC, as the leader of the legislature party and conveyed their decision to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose. The latest development effectively placed the control of the TMC's legislative party in the hands of dissidents and marked the most serious challenge yet to the authority of the party leadership following its defeat in the recent assembly polls. Addressing a press conference in the Assembly after meeting the Speaker, Ritabrata Banerjee said his camp had submitted the signatures of 58 MLAs elected on the TMC symbol and "our claim has been accepted by the Speaker". Claiming that a clear majority of the party's legislators were now behind him, he asser

TMC dissolves its committees in Bengal, announces organisational overhaul

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday dissolved all of its organisational committees in West Bengal and announced a comprehensive review of the party structure, a dramatic move that comes in the backdrop of rebellion by a large section of its legislators. In a statement posted on X, the TMC said that all committees of the party in West Bengal, as well as all of its frontal organisations, stood dissolved with immediate effect. The decision comes hours after dissident TMC MLAs moved the Assembly Speaker seeking recognition as a separate legislature party, deepening the crisis within the organisation following its recent electoral setback. "After careful consideration, it has been decided that all committees of the All India Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, as well as all its frontal organisations, shall stand dissolved with immediate effect," the party said. It said the party would undertake a "comprehensive exercise of introspection, performance review and organisational ...

Bengal launches Annapurna Yojana, 2.8 mn women to receive aid in 1st phase

The West Bengal government on Wednesday launched the Annapurna Yojana for women and announced that 28.25 lakh beneficiaries will receive Rs 3,000 monthly aid in the first phase. Inaugurating the scheme, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that 28,25,769 verified beneficiaries had been enrolled on the dedicated portal over the past three days through a coordinated effort involving state officials, district administrations, block development offices, municipal bodies, elected representatives, and public participation. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantee and the double-engine government's commitment have ensured that the promise to provide the aid of Rs 3,000 has been implemented," he said. The chief minister said fresh applications would continue to be accepted and all eligible beneficiaries would be covered under the scheme after verification over the next three months. "As forms are received and verification is completed, Rs 3,000 will be transferred to the beneficiaries' ..

58 rebel TMC MLAs back Ritabrata Banerjee as legislature party leader

As many as 58 dissident TMC MLAs backed expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of the legislature party and conveyed their decision to West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose on Wednesday, a move that could redraw the opposition's power structure in the House. Sources said that Banerjee, along with fellow rebel MLA Sandipan Saha and several dissident legislators, met the Speaker and submitted letters of support signed by 58 MLAs. They also proposed a new leadership team, naming Banerjee as the legislature party leader, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders, and Raghunathganj MLA Akhruzzaman as the chief whip. Under the anti-defection law, a breakaway faction requires the support of at least two-thirds of a legislature party to avoid disqualification. With the TMC having 80 MLAs in the Assembly, the threshold stands at 54. If the rebel camp's claim is accepted, it would comfortably cross that mark and strengthen its case for recognition as a .