Page 74 - West Bengal

Ration scam should be probed by agencies like CBI, says Adhir Ranjan

He also said that the condition of the tea garden workers in West Bengal is "very bad" and they are not even getting the minimum facilities of government welfare schemes

Suvendu Adhikari alleges scam in purchase of PPE kits; demand probe

The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday wrote to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), alleging a scam in the purchase of PPE kits and other medical equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.Taking to his official handle on social media platform X, Adhikari shared a detailed post informing that he had written to the director, ED, principal director general of the Income Tax Department and secretary, Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, seeking an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits."A huge financial scam was executed in WB during the Covid Pandemic period, with regard to the purchase of PPE kits and other medical equipment by the WB Health Department. Huge funds were provided by the Central Govt at that time to bolster the efforts to fight against the virus collectively," Adhikari posted from his official X handle."I have written a letter to the Director; .

Mahua Moitra row: LS underlines confidentiality of govt's replies to MPs

The Lok Sabha secretariat has underscored the confidentiality of government's replies to MPs during the Question Hour in the House and asked them to access their portal only for their exclusive use, a development triggered by the raging "cash-for-query" row involving TMC MP Mahua Moitra. "It may be noted that since the replies are log-in and password protected on the Members' Portal, they are exclusively for the use of Members only," the Lok Sabha secretariat said in its bulletin dated November 10, a day after the the House's Ethics Committee recommended Moitra's expulsion. Members are, therefore, requested to maintain confidentiality of the replies and not to share the contents with others until the Question Hour is over, it added. It informed MPs that the contents of reply made in response to a question is "strictly confidential" until the question for oral answer has been asked and answered in the House. In case a question could not come up for oral answer, the reply to the ...

Will help her before polls: Bengal CM on Moitra's expulsion recommendation

Breaking her silence on the "cash-for-query" allegation against TMC MP Mahua Moitra, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that plans were in the works to expel her from Parliament but any such action would help the lawmaker from Krishnanagar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Last week, Moitra, who is facing recommendations for expulsion from Lok Sabha, was tasked with strengthening the party's organisation in Nadia district, in a clear message of support from the TMC. "Now, they are planning to expel Mahua (from Parliament). She will become more popular as a result. Whatever she used to say inside (Parliament), she will now say those things outside. Would anyone do something like this three months before the elections if he is not stupid?" Banerjee said, addressing a special session of the party at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had forwarded a complaint against the Trinamool Congress member by lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla,

Amazon India, WBIDC sign MoU to boost e-commerce exports from West Bengal

WBIDC will build e-commerce export hubs and set up e-commerce exports facilitation cell in key districts across West Bengal including Kolkata

WB receives investment proposals worth Rs 3.76 trillion: CM Mamata Banerjee

Addressing the valedictory session, Banerjee said that 188 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and letters of intent (LoIs) had been signed

Uber to start bus service in Kolkata for office-goers by March 2024

Ride-hailing app Uber on Wednesday announced that it will soon start a bus service in Kolkata for office-goers. By March next year, Uber Shuttle will have 60 air-conditioned buses on predefined routes, connecting business districts with residential areas of the city, it said in a statement. Uber will invest USD 10 million in the state by 2025, and create about 50,000 livelihood opportunities over the next five years, it added. For the bus service, Uber signed an agreement with the state Transport Department at the Bengal Global Business Summit. Like cabs, passengers can pre-book seats up to a week in advance for Uber Shuttle, track live location and route, and receive real-time estimated time of arrival (ETA) through the Uber app. Uber Shuttle will offer commuters a seamless and convenient travel experience, the statement said. The service will also provide cashless payment options, round-the-clock safety support and a comfortable ride with air-conditioned buses running from 6 am

Merlin Group signs MoU with World Trade Centers at Bengal business summit

The Kolkata-based Merlin Group announced on Wednesday that the company has signed an MoU with several World Trade Centers in the country to explore opportunities for enhancing trade and investment. The pact was inked during the Bengal Global Business Summit here. "We signed MoUs with WTC Bangalore, WTC Mumbai, and WTC Noida at the investment summit for mutual support in various activities, promoting businesses and members in each other's states," Sushil Mohta, chairman of WTC NDITA said. The Rs 1500 WTC which is likely to create 30,000 job opportunities is coming up at Salt Lake's Sector 5 area, the municipal services of which are looked after by Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA). This WTC "will also focus on strengthening global trade, with a particular emphasis on promoting exports from West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala", Mohta said. The partnership with other WTCs aims at exploring opportunities for enhancing trade and investment

Rs 400 cr investment in Bengal's hosiery parks expected by FY24-25: WBHA

The West Bengal Hosiery Association (WBHA) on Wednesday said that an investment of Rs 400 crore in capacity building of hosiery parks in the state is expected by the next fiscal year. Addressing a session on manufacturing industries with a focus on MSMEs and textiles at the seventh Bengal Global Business Summit, WBHA secretary Pradeep Arora said, "This investment aims to add a sprawling 20 lakh sq ft of operational area to the hosiery parks." Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi, in his address, underscored the importance of Medium and Small Scale Industries (MSMEs) in the rural hinterlands, while stressing the need for robust support mechanisms such as enhanced access to credit, simplified compliance obligations, and swift project approvals. Acknowledging the challenges faced by MSMEs, Dwivedi said the state government was taking a proactive approach by regularly organising stakeholder consultation meetings at the district level, often in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and .

NSE ties up with Bengal govt to facilitate fund raising for SMEs in state

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Wednesday said it has collaborated with the West Bengal government to spread awareness amongst MSMEs in the state regarding fundraising through IPO mechanism using the bourse's SME platform. As part of the pact, NSE with the support of West Bengal government will conduct awareness drives through seminars, MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)camps, knowledge sessions, road shows, workshops to guide corporates across the state for fundraising on its SME platform, Emerge, and handhold companies in the listing process, the bourse said in a statement. "Today at the Bengal Global Business Summit, we have signed a MoU with the NSE to encourage and support the MSMEs of our state to pursue the capital market for growth opportunities. "Listing on the capital market shall help them raise capital to fuel their growth story. This shall provide an opportunity to showcase their business to a larger set of investors through NSE Emerge platform," Rajesh ...

KPMG expands operations, opens new global delivery centre in Kolkata

KPMG LLP, a multinational audit, tax and advisory firm, has further expanded its presence in India with the opening of a new global delivery centre office in Kolkata. The new office, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and collaboration spaces, will accommodate a growing team of professionals, a statement said. KPMG currently has over 250 professionals in Kolkata and has ambitious plans to double its workforce by FY'25, it added. This expansion reflects the firm's recognition of Kolkata's vibrant talent pool and its strategic importance to KPMG's growth strategy, the firm said. "The professionals in Kolkata are joining a team of individuals developing critical skills that support the audit today and the more data-driven audit we are driving towards," said KPMG U.S. national managing partner (audit operations) Tim Walsh. Global delivery centres play a crucial role in KPMG's global audit strategy, providing audit and assurance support, audit technology, and risk management ...

Reliance Industries to pump Rs 20K cr more into Bengal, says Mukesh Ambani

Mamata invites industry to participate in Tajpur port tender

Reliance to invest additional Rs 20k cr in Bengal in 3 years: Mukesh Ambani

Reliance Industries chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani on Tuesday announced an additional Rs 20,000-crore investment for West Bengal over the next three years. Ambani said the fresh investment will be in the areas of digital life solutions, retail and bio-energy. "We plan to invest an additional Rs 20,000 crore in Bengal in the next three years for enhancing digital life solutions, augmenting Reliance Retail footprint and on bio-energy," he said at the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) here. The Reliance Industries has invested close to Rs 45,000 crore in the last few years in the state, Ambani said. "Reliance will leave no stone unturned to accelerate Bengal's growth," he asserted. The Reliance Foundation will also take up the task of renovating and restoring the iconic Kalighat Temple in Kolkata to regain its "original glory", Ambani added.

WB's marquee biz summit begins today, leaders from 28 nations to take part

Business leaders from 28 countries, a host of prominent figures of corporate India as well as political dignitaries are expected to take part in the seventh edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) which will begin on Tuesday, officials said. The participating countries include the US, UK, Japan, Poland, France, Australia, Germany, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Fiji, they said. Corporate bigwigs such as Reliance Industries, ITC, Ambuja Neotia and the Hiranandani Group are also likely to attend the state's marquee business summit. The focus sectors at the two-day BGBS 2023 are MSME, textiles, engineering, energy, transport and urban infrastructure, real estate, agriculture, tourism and international trade and logistics, officials said. Over 250 international delegates, including senior representatives from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, are expected to participate in the event, they said. "Reliance Industries Chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani is expected to attend

UK firms ready to help Bengal develop green public transport system: Envoy

The British delegation for the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) has several companies with expertise in running trams and other modes of green public transport, and they would like to help in developing such a system in West Bengal, a UK envoy said on Monday. BGBS, West Bengal's marquee business summit, begins here on Tuesday. Trams are still running in many cities in the UK and also in South London, UK Deputy High Commissioner to East and Northeast India, Andrew Fleming, pointed out. "We are happy that our delegation for the BGBS has many companies with expertise in running trams and other modes of green public transport. They would be ready to help in the movement of people in cities and towns of West Bengal," Fleming said. Trams are an iconic feature and a heritage symbol of Kolkata, he said before riding a special tram operated by the West Bengal Transport Department from Tollygunge to Ballygunge, a distance of around 5 km in the southern part of the city. The British ...

Committee formed to prepare Bengali plaque on Unesco honour to Santiniketan

Visva Bharati University on Monday said a committee has been formed to finalise the new Bengali plaque in place of the earlier one on UNESCO recognition to Santiniketan as a heritage site. The committee will also look through the already prepared Hindi and English texts of the new plaque to see that it is according to the instructions of the union education ministry, spokesperson of the central university, Mahua Banerjee said in an official statement. She said the acting Vice-chancellor Sanjoy Kumar Mallick has been advised that the installation of the official text of the UNESCO statement recognizing Santiniketan as a heritage site is of "immediate priority" and the ministry was assured that the university has no intention for unnecessary delay in carrying out the work. The ministry was informed that soon after the receipt of the draft statement, a committee was formed to finalise the Bengali version of the text of the plaque and to look through the texts for those in Hindi and ...

Over 25 nations' leaders to join Bengal Global Business Summit from Tue

Business leaders from more than 25 countries, a host of prominent figures of corporate India as well as political dignitaries are expected to take part in the seventh edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) that will begin on Tuesday, officials said. The participating countries include the US, UK, Japan, Poland, France, Australia, Germany, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Fiji, they said. Corporate honchos from India's Reliance Industries, ITC, Ambuja Neotia and the Hiranandani Group are also likely to attend the state's marquee business summit. The focus sectors at the two-day BGBS 2023 are MSME, textiles, engineering, energy, transport & urban infrastructure, real estate, agri, tourism and international trade & logistics, officials said. Over 250 international delegates are expected to participate, including senior representatives from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, they said. "Reliance Industries Chairman & MD Mukesh Ambani is expected to attend this

Cyclone 'Midhili' to bring rainfall in coastal West Bengal, Odisha on alert

The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal on Friday intensified into a cyclonic storm and will graze past the Sunderbans before making landfall on Bangladesh coast with a maximum wind speed of 80 kmph, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin. The cyclonic storm named 'Midhili' will cross the Bangladesh coast during November 17 night or early hours of November 18, it said. The system over the Bay of Bengal lay centered at 5.30 am on Friday at about 190 km east of Paradip (Odisha), 200 km south-southeast of Digha (West Bengal) and 220 km southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh), the national weather agency said. "It is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards and cross Bangladesh coast close to Khepupara with wind speed of 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph during November 17 night or early hours of November 18," the IMD said. The name 'Midhili' was given by the Maldives. Countries affected by the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal cyclones rotationally give names of cyclon

Centre tells Visva Bharati to replace controversial plaques at Santiniketan

The Centre has asked Visva Bharati University to replace the controversial plaques commemorating UNESCO's award of World Heritage Site to Santiniketan, a varsity source said on Thursday. The Union education ministry has told the university to remove the plaques and replace them with ones having Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's name, the source added. Visva Bharati spokesperson Mahua Bandyopadhyay told PTI, "We cannot confirm anything about the plaques unless we have a written communique from the Union education ministry." Days after Santiniketan got the UNESCO tag on September 17, three plaques commemorating the honour came up in different parts of the campus having the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former VB vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty but did not mention Tagore's name, the founder of Santiniketan and Visva Bharati. This triggered an uproar from students, faculty and political parties. On October 26, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked Visva ..

Amid cash-for-query case, Mahua gets organisational responsibilities in TMC

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, currently facing recommendations for expulsion from Lok Sabha in a cash-for-query row, was tasked with strengthening the party's organisation in West Bengal's Nadia district ahead of the 2024 general elections, in a clear message of support from the TMC. On Monday, the TMC announced a revised list of district presidents for the state's 35 organisational districts. Moitra, who was the district president in Krishnanagar a few years ago before being removed in a prior reshuffle, has now been reinstated as the district president of Krishnanagar (Nadia North) organisational district. Expressing her gratitude on social media, Moitra stated, "Thank you @MamataOfficial and @AITCofficial for appointing me District President of Krishnanagar (Nadia North). Will always work with the party for the people of Krishnanagar." The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, headed by Chairman Vinod Kumar Sonkar, submitted its report on the 'cash-for-query' allegation against Moit