Page 46 - West Bengal

Tata Hitachi's success harvest from field to factory in West Bengal

Ratan Tata, then Tata Group chairman, had flown in along with the brass to make the announcement. The Nano found its home at Singur in the Hooghly district

West Bengal flogging cases | What is a kangaroo court?

WB Governor had to cancel his trip to Chopra in West Bengal as the woman who was publicly flogged after a kangaroo court deemed her ‘guilty’ of an extramarital relationship, refused to meet him.

Office transactions hit record high at 34.7 mn sq. ft. in H1 2024: Report

Office space leasing absorption in Kolkata surged 33 per cent year on year to 0.4 million square feet in the April-June quarter of 2024, according to the CBRE India Office Figures Q2 report. The key sectors driving absorption in Q2 2024 were technology (40 per cent), BFSI (21 per cent), and flexible space operators (10 per cent). "The office space leasing absorption in April-June 2024 was 0.4 million square feet against 0.3 million square feet in the YoY period, a CBRE official said. Another real estate consultant, Knight Frank India, also said that Kolkata's office market saw a significant increase in office leasing volume, with 0.7 million square feet of office space transacted in H1 2024 (January-June 2024). This represents a 23 per cent growth compared to H1 2023, according to Knight Frank India's report "India Real Estate: Residential and Office" (January-June 2024). Average office space rents increased by 6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) during H1 2024, it said. Knight Frank a

A sunny farm to factory worker story at Tata Hitachi plant in Bengal

About 60 per cent of the workforce are land givers, with one member from each displaced family employed

Hearing of defamation suit against Bengal CM adjourned till Thursday

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday adjourned till Thursday hearing of a defamation suit by West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over alleged comments made by her and some other TMC leaders. The matter will appear for hearing on Thursday after Bose's lawyer makes necessary changes in the application. Claiming that baseless allegations were being made against the governor, Bose's lawyer also prayed for an interim injunction on further statements by the defendants in the defamation suit. Justice Krishna Rao noted that publications referred to in the suit have not been made party in it. The lawyer for Bose sought time to file a fresh application, incorporating necessary changes. Granting permission, the high court said the matter will be taken up for hearing on Thursday. Bose had filed a defamation case against Banerjee on June 28, a day after she claimed women complained to her that they were afraid to visit the Raj Bhavan because of the ...

NHRC notice to WB, DGP over 'public flogging' of couple in Uttar Dinajpur

The NHRC said on Monday that it has issued notices to the West Bengal government and the state's police chief over reports that a couple was allegedly mercilessly beaten up in a village in Uttar Dinajpur district in full public view by a group of people. The main perpetrator is allegedly associated with "the political party in power in West Bengal" and could be seen in a viral video, severely beating up the couple surrounded by a group of people, as spectators, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement. The media report also quoted a video of the incident on social media, it added. The rights panel, looking into the gravity of the issue, has also asked its Director General (Investigation) to "immediately constitute and send a team, headed by an officer, not below the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police, to visit the place of the incident to conduct an on-the-spot fact-finding inquiry in the matter and to submit a report to the Commission, at the earliest,"

Nadda slams Mamata Banerjee-led govt, says West Bengal unsafe for women

BJP president JP Nadda slammed the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal on Monday over a "horrific" video of a man brutally assaulting a couple in public. He said in a post on X, "A horrific video has come to light from West Bengal, reminding of the brutalities that exist only in theocracies. To make matters worse, the TMC cadre and MLAs are justifying the act." Nadda added, "Be it Sandeshkhali, Uttar Dinajpur or many other places, Didi's West Bengal is UNSAFE for women." The West Bengal Police on Sunday registered a case over the incident. The man seen in the video beating up a couple with a bamboo stick was allegedly a local TMC leader of Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district where the incident occurred following a kangaroo court decision. The accused, Tajmul alias JCB, was arrested.

Guv Bose asks TMC govt to issue white paper on WB's financial situation

Claiming that West Bengal was facing a financial breakdown, Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday called upon the Mamata Banerjee government to table a white paper on the state's financial situation. Bose's statement came on a day he met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi. "The fiscal situation of West Bengal is confronting multiple fiscal risks and public finance management issues exposing serious lapses on the part of the (state) government. It is very disturbing, shocking, and shattering to see that West Bengal is facing a financial breakdown. Its public finance is in the doldrums," he claimed in a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan. "Considering the grave nature of the economic scenario, the Governor calls upon the CM upon the authority vested in him under Article 167 of the Constitution read with Rule 30 of the Rules of Business for West Bengal framed under Article 166 of the Constitution, to place a comprehensive report on the state's financial situation befo

Judiciary must be absolutely pure, free of political bias, says CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday called for a judiciary free of any political bias, maintaining that it should be absolutely pure and honest. Banerjee also said the judiciary is the big pillar of India's foundation to save democracy, the Constitution and people's interests. "Please see to it that (there is) no political bias in the judiciary. The judiciary must be absolutely pure, honest and sacred. Let people worship it," the CM said at the inauguration of the East Zone II regional conference of the National Judicial Academy here. Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court T S Sivagnanam were among those present at the programme. The judiciary is an important temple for people and the supreme authority for delivering justice, Banerjee said. It is like a mandir, masjid, gurudwara and girja (church). The judiciary is of the people, by the people and for the people... and the last frontier for getting justice and upholding .

Class 10 West Bengal state board exams in 2025 to be held on Feb 10-22

The next year's class 10 state board examinations in West Bengal will begin on February 10, an official said. The tests conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education will continue till February 22. The exams will begin at 10.45 am, WBBSE president Ramanuj Ganguly said on Friday. Marks of 12,468 candidates, who appeared for the secondary exams in 2024, went up after reviewing the answer sheets. "This thing (awarding less marks initially) should not have taken place. But the fault lies with the respective examiner," he added.

Bengal Guv files defamation suit against CM Mamata for unsavoury remarks

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday filed a defamation case against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Calcutta High Court, a day after she claimed that women complained to her saying that they were afraid to visit the Raj Bhavan because of the activities there, a source said. Bose earlier in the day criticised Banerjee for her remarks and stated it was expected of public representatives not to create "erroneous and slanderous impressions. The Bengal Governor also filed defamation against certain TMC leaders, he said.. During an administrative meeting in the state secretariat, Banerjee on Thursday claimed that "Women have informed her they are afraid to visit Raj Bhavan due to recent incidents reported there". "Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday moved the Calcutta High Court and filed a defamation suit against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party leaders for their comments," the source told PTI. On May 2, a contractual woman employee of Raj Bhavan had alleged .

Stalemate over two TMC MLAs' oath taking continues for second day

Two newly-elected Trinamool Congress MLAs sat on a dharna for the second consecutive day on Friday in front of B R Ambedkar's statue in West Bengal Assembly, as a stalemate over their demand to be administered oath in the House against Governor C V Ananda Bose's invite to do so in the Raj Bhavan continued. Baranagar MLA Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Bhagabangola MLA Rayat Hossain Sarkar, who won in bypolls, refused to take oath in the Raj Bhavan as asked by Governor Bose and sat on a dharna in the assembly complex on Thursday. They sat on dharna again on Friday at noon in front of the statue of Ambedkar in the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha complex, demanding that Bose facilitate the oath-taking ceremony in the assembly, enabling them to perform their duties as legislators. The governor had invited the two MLAs to take the oath at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday. They declined the invitation, claiming that convention dictates that in the case of bypoll winners, the governor assigns the speaker

Centre okays proposals worth Rs 860 cr for Bengal under Swachh Bharat

The Union housing and urban affairs ministry has approved proposals worth Rs 860.35 crore for West Bengal under the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), according to a statement issued on Thursday. According to the ministry, during the first phase of SBM-U (2014-19), a total fund of Rs 911.34 crore was allocated to West Bengal, which has been increased by one-and-a-half times to Rs 1,449.30 crore in SBM-U 2.0 (2021-26). There are 118 legacy-waste dumpsites in West Bengal, of which only 5 per cent waste has been remediated, the statement said. The Dhapa landfill, Kolkata's main municipal dumping ground since 1987, has been undergoing biomining and bioremediation, the methods chosen by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for clearing legacy waste which allow extraction of usable materials from the waste. "Cities in West Bengal generate around 4,046 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day. Under SBM-U 2.0, the state has proposed projects to manage this huge quantity of waste

West Bengal sets target of bank loans worth Rs 1.53 trn for MSMEs in FY25

The West Bengal government has set a target of providing Rs 1.53 lakh crore as bank loans to the MSME sector in the current fiscal, a rise of 5.5 per cent over the year-earlier figure, officials said. In the 2023-24 fiscal, the state's MSME sector received Rs 1.45 lakh crore in bank credit, translating to a growth of 14 per cent. West Bengal is one of the leading states in terms of MSME units, with 21.5 per cent of the country's total such units located in the state. "There are 89 lakh MSME units in West Bengal, generating employment to 1.36 crore people. Of these, 29 lakh units are owned by women entrepreneurs, which is 32.7 per cent of the total units in the state," said Debashis Bandopadhyay, Special Secretary, MSME Department. The state has 589 MSME clusters, with 41.77 per cent of those engaged in manufacturing, 25.47 per cent in trading and 21.5 per cent in other sectors, he said at a Bengal Chamber-organised MSME event. "The amount of bank loans given to MSMEs in the state

Reliance Jio buys spectrum worth Rs 973.63 crore in Bihar, West Bengal

Reliance Jio expanded its radio waves holding for mobile services by acquiring additional frequencies worth Rs 973.63 crore in the latest spectrum auction that concluded on Wednesday. The company acquired 5 megahertz paired spectrum in 1,800 Mhz band in Bihar for Rs 420.25 crore and 9.4 Mhz in West Bengal for Rs 553.38 crore. "Jio acquired additional spectrum in the 1,800 MHz band in Bihar and West Bengal. With this acquisition, Jio has expanded its 1,800 MHz band spectrum in two circles. Jio's spectrum footprint has increased to 26,801 MHz (uplink + downlink), solidifying its leadership position," the company said in a statement. The government had offered a total of 10 GHz of spectrum ranging between 800 MHz to 26 GHz, which was worth Rs 96,238 crore at the base or auction start price. All the available spectrum in 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands were put to auction. This year auction has seen activity in 900 MHz, 1,800 MH

What is the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty that has sparked Mamata-Centre row?

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has written to PM Modi, claiming that the Centre excluded the state govt from discussions with Bangladesh on Teesta water sharing and Farakka treaty

Why is Mamata Banerjee displeased with the government's water treaty talks with Bangladesh?

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing her discontent over water-sharing talks between the Centre and Bangladesh, since West Bengal

Centre refutes Mamata Banerjee's claim on Ganga Water Treaty review

West Bengal was consulted on the review of the Ganga Water Treaty with Bangladesh, sources at the Centre said here on Monday, dismissing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that the state was kept out of the process. The sources said the joint secretary (works) in the irrigation and waterways department of the West Bengal government conveyed in April the state's total demand for the next 30 years from the stretch downstream of the Farakka Barrage. India and Bangladesh signed the Ganga Water Treaty in 1996. The 30-year treaty is due to expire in 2026 but may be extended by mutual agreement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday that India and Bangladesh will begin technical-level talks for the renewal of the 1996 treaty. In a letter to Modi, Banerjee had claimed that the decision to start talks for the renewal of the treaty was "unilateral" and urged the prime minister not to hold any such discussion with Bangladesh without involving the West Bengal government. The

Not happy with Centre for excluding Bengal from Teesta talks: Mamata to PM

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing strong reservation over the Centre excluding the state government from discussions with Bangladesh regarding Teesta water sharing and the Farakka Treaty. Banerjee also urged the PM to not hold any such discussion with the neighbouring country without involving the West Bengal government. I am writing this letter in context of the recent visit of Prime Minister of Bangladesh. It seems that water sharing issues relating to the Ganges and Teesta rivers may have been discussed during the meeting. Such unilateral deliberations and discussions without consultation and the opinion of the state government is neither acceptable nor desirable, she said in a three-page letter to Modi. Bengal has a very close relationship with Bangladesh - geographically, culturally and economically, she noted. I love and respect people of Bangladesh and always wish for their well-being... I convey my strong

Indian Railways aims to implement Kavach system across 44,000 km in 5 years

Kavach is an automated train protection safety system designed to prevent collisions on the same track. The Railway Ministry is working on its installation on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes