Page 80 - West Bengal

Specially abled people exempted from payment of motor vehicles tax in WB

Divyangjan ownership type motor vehicles will be exempted from payment of motor vehicle tax in West Bengal, a state transport department notification said. All motor vehicles registering authorities in the state have been directed to act accordingly, the notification dated August 29 said. The notification issued by transport secretary Saumitra Mohan said motor vehicles registered under the ownership type Divyangjan are exempted from payment of the tax under the West Bengal Motor Vehicles Act till the date a Divyang person is its registered owner. It also said that applications are being received from persons with benchmark disabilities for recording the ownership type as 'Divyangjan' in registration certificates of motor vehicles owned by them to avail various exemptions granted by the government. The notification said the central ministry of heavy industries has facilitated motor vehicles of persons with minimum 40 per cent orthopaedic physical disability to be considered as ...

Mamata to visit Spain, Dubai in September to attract investments: Official

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit Dubai and Spain in September to attract investments, a senior official said on Thursday. The central government has given its nod to Banerjee's trip, which is expected in the second week of September, he said. Banerjee will most likely fly to Dubai on September 13, and visit Spain thereafter, the official said. Her trip could continue till September 23. The chief minister is expected to meet industrialists and business tycoons in the two foreign countries," he said. In 2021, the Centre had not granted Banerjee permission to visit Rome, where she was scheduled to attend a world peace conference.

Bengal education dept to sanction Rs 37 lakh for CCTV cameras on JU campus

The West Bengal higher education department is likely to sanction Rs 37 lakh to Jadavpur University (JU) for installing CCTV cameras on the campus following an uproar over the death of a 17-year-old student on August 10 because of alleged ragging. A higher education department official told PTI on Wednesday that while it has in principle decided to sanction the amount, it was yet to send the final proposal to the finance department with specific details. "In principle, the amount has sanctioned by the higher education department but the process of sending the file to the finance department is yet to start," he said. Officiating vice-chancellor Buddhadeb Sau told PTI, "I have heard about the sanction of funds from media reports, but we are yet to get any official communication from the government. Whenever the amount comes, it will help the university to start installing CCTV cameras on the campus." To a question about a section of SFI students opposing the installation of CCTV came

BJP demands NIA probe into blast at Bengal's illegal firecracker unit

Leader of the Opposition and BJP legislator Suvendu Adhikari on Monday demanded an NIA probe into the blast at an illegal firecracker factory in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, that claimed nine lives. BJP staged a walkout from the assembly on Monday, protesting against the incident which occurred a day before. "Before all the evidence is destroyed, the state government must immediately hand over the probe to the NIA. We have also filed a PIL before the bench of Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, which has been admitted," Adhikari said while speaking to reporters on the assembly premises. The saffron party leader also said the intensity of the blast was so huge that the concrete terrace of the neighbourhood houses was severely damaged. "The huge intensity of the blast was due to RDX explosive," he claimed. The intensity of the explosion was so high that over 50 houses in the neighbourhood were partially damaged and body parts of those killed in the incident were found

Toll in Bengal illegal firecracker factory blast rises to 9, one arrested

Police arrested one person in connection with the blast at an illegal firecracker factory in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district in which at least eight people were killed and scores injured, an officer said on Monday. The arrested person is the partner of the owner of the illegal firecrackers factory, police said. The situation at Nilgunj's Moshpole within Duttapukur police station limits was calm on Monday. "Search operations continued the entire night. However, the lack of power in the area and huge amount of debris scattered here made it tough for us to conduct searches and our investigation. We have arrested one person who was the business partner of the man running the unit," a senior police officer of Barasat Police District told PTI over the phone. The man has been booked under the Explosives Act 1884 and Explosives Rules 2008, the officer said, adding that a suo moto case was started against three others in connection with the blast. The blast in the illegal firecra

Blast in Bengal firecracker factory claims 8 lives, BJP demands NIA probe

At least eight people were killed and scores injured in a blast at an illegal firecrackers factory in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Sunday morning, police said. The explosion took place when people were working at the factory in Nilgunj's Moshpole within Duttapukur police station limits, around 30km north of Kolkata, they said. The blast's impact was so intense that over 50 houses in the neighbourhood were partially damaged and body parts of people were found on terraces of several buildings, a senior police officer said, adding they suspect several people were still stuck under the rubble. Police said the owner's son, who was present in the unit, was also killed in the blast. "The matter is under investigation. Guilty will be punished. We are conducting rescue operations now," the officer told PTI. Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose, who reached Duttapukur from Kolkata airport after returning to the city after a three-day trip to North Bengal, said he would evaluate the ...

5 dead as blast rips through illegal cracker factory in Bengal's Duttapukur

Rescue officials confirmed casualties in the incident, claiming to have already recovered 5 bodies from the heap of debris where the cracker manufacturing unit once stood

ED arrests 2 directors of WB firm that duped investors through ponzi scheme

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said it has arrested two directors of a West Bengal-based company that allegedly ran a ponzi scheme and diverted Rs 1,786 crore worth of public funds. Prabir Kumar Chanda and Pranab Kumar Das, directors of MPS Greenery Developers Limited, were arrested on August 24 and a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata sent them to ED custody till September 1, the central agency said in a statement. MPS Greenery Developers Limited raised funds of about Rs 2,682 crore during 1999-2000 to 2013-2014 from investors through various "fraudulent" income schemes, by issuing agro, orchard and teak bonds in violation of norms of banking regulator RBI and markets regular SEBI, it alleged. The company was controlled and managed by its CMD Pramatha Nath Manna, the two arrested directors and other associates. The ED alleged that the accused "diverted" public funds of Rs 1,786 crore to subsidiary and associate companies of MPS Greener

West Bengal govt should implement AB-PMJAY at ground level: Mandaviya

The West Bengal government should implement the central medical insurance scheme AB-PMJAY at the ground level for the benefit of people, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday. The central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to providing quality healthcare services to all citizens of the state, Mandaviya said during his visit to West Bengal. The minister reviewed various programmes delivering health services in the state, including the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). "The state government should implement Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme at the ground level for benefit to the people of West Bengal. We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that the health services in the state are of the highest quality," he said. During his visit, he reviewed Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, National TB Elimination Programme, the status of funds released under the National Health Mission (NHM

Bengal governor to meet family members of workers killed in bridge collapse

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose left for Malda on Friday morning where he would be meeting family members of the workers from the district killed in the railway bridge collapse in Mizoram. Bose boarded the Yuva Express after the Vande Bharat Express, in which he was scheduled to travel to Malda this morning, was cancelled due to some technical glitches. The governor after reaching Malda will visit the houses of the workers killed in the Mizoram bridge collapse, sources in the Governor's office said. Bose, who travelled in the second class of Yuva Express, took telephone calls on the moving train and addressed public grievances and issued instructions. "He also talked to Jadavpur University officiating Vice Chancellor and students over the phone in connection with the current fiasco there," the source said. The under-construction railway bridge in the Bairabi-Sairang new line project near Aizawl collapsed on Wednesday killing 22 workers and injuring three. Bodies of four missi

Bengal governor approaches Isro for tech to curb ragging on campuses

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has reached out to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for identifying an appropriate technology solution to curb the menace of ragging on college and university campuses, a statement issued by Raj Bhavan on Thursday night said. A first-year undergraduate student died earlier this month after allegedly being ragged and sexually harassed in a hostel of Jadavpur University, sparking an outcry in West Bengal. "C V Ananda Bose, Hon'ble Governor of West Bengal and Chancellor of the universities, contacted the Chairman of ISRO for identifying appropriate technology to effectively contain and eliminate the menace of ragging in the university campuses," the statement said. Bose has also held discussions with a Hyderabad-based firm over the issue. "They are trying to develop an appropriate technology solution using multiple sources such as video analytics, image matching automatic target recognition and remote sensing," the governor said in the

India's moon mission cost half of Bengal scam amount: Sukanta Majumdar

West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Sukanta Majumdar said that India's moon mission was successful at just half the cost of the West Bengal teachers' recruitment scam amount

WB expects more investment offers, int'l participation of tech fims: Mitra

Mitra said that there are several policies in process in new areas which is expected to be announced at the summit and some of them have already been approved by the cabinet

Mamata announces hike in allowances of Imams, Hindu priests in Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced a hike in the monthly allowance of Muslim clerics and Hindu priests by Rs 500. The opposition BJP and the CPI(M) dubbed it a "cheap poll gimmick" to woo minority votes. While addressing a conference of imams and muezzins in Kolkata's Netaji Indoor stadium, Banerjee announced a hike of Rs 500 in the monthly allowance of Muslims Imams and Hindu priests. "People have maligned me for my beliefs. When I attend Iftar during Ramzan, my photographs are ridiculed. BJP had even attempted to change my name. However, I don't care about it because it is my duty to see that people of different religions don't fight with one another," she said. Accusing the BJP of making it an issue every time she participates in the programmes of minorities, Banerjee said she would continue to work for all communities throughout her life. "Whenever I attend any programme of the minorities, I am accused of appeasing the minorities. I believe in love

Amid Jadavpur University death row, what are the anti-ragging laws in India

A first-year student of the Jadavpur University in Kolkata died after falling from the first floor of his hostel last week

Atmanirbhar Bharat will be complete if we care about environment: WB Guv

West Bengal Governor Dr C V Ananda Bose on Friday said the concept of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self reliant India) will be complete only if we care about the environment and address climate change. Bose was addressing an event at Raj Bhavan here to launch three books of his Goa counterpart P S Sreedharan Pillai. "Atmanirbhar Bharat will be complete only if we care about the environment and trees and address climate change," Bose said. He referred to one of the books launched titled 'Heritage Trees of Goa' and said it would resolve the "grave issue of climate catastrophe that has enveloped the world". He hailed Pillai for successfully handling all his assignments in life, including being a lawyer, writer, politician and governor. Speaking on the occasion, Pillai said, "Our culture is not only human-centric as is the case of Western society. We don't view nature as something to be exploited. Our philosophy is acentric and embraces all living organisms." Pillai's two other books, 'When

Campuses in Bengal have been converted into hellholes: BJP's Amit Malviya

Amit Malviya further asserted that the Jadavpur University campus is "littered with comrades" who have reduced hostels to a "den of drugs and promiscuity"

Bengal pitches for more employment generation in state through Indo-US ties

West Bengal on Thursday pitched for more employment generation in the state through US-India partnership. Principal chief advisor to West Bengal chief minister Amit Mitra said that the need of the hour is creation of more employment through exports, strengthening of the MSME sector in the state and value-chain integration. Speaking at a session of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce virtually, Mitra said "During 2022-23, exports from West Bengal to the US increased 55 per cent over the previous period." Mitra, who also holds the rank of a state cabinet minister, said that exports from West Bengal to the US stood at approximately USD 13 to 15 billion. "Nearly ten per cent of India's exports to the US originates from West Bengal," he said. The major items of exports to the US from West Bengal are gems and jewellery, shrimp, human hair for wigs and industrial gloves among others, he stated. Mitra said, "According to the RBI, West Bengal is the fourth largest economy in the country

Murmu to launch advanced stealth frigate, de-addiction campaign in Kolkata

President Droupadi Murmu will visit in Kolkata on Thursday, during which she will launch an advanced stealth frigate for the Indian Navy and a de-addiction campaign. Murmu will launch the 'Vindhyagiri' at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd's (GRSE) facility on the banks of Hooghly river, further propelling India's maritime prowess, a defence official said. This is the sixth of seven ships being built under 'Project 17 Alpha' for the Navy. The first five ships of the project were launched between 2019 and 2022. This is the third and last stealth frigate that the Kolkata-based warship maker was contracted to build for the Navy under the project. The official said that 75 per cent of orders for equipment and systems of P17A ships are from indigenous firms, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The state-of-the-art ship will be fitted with the latest gadgets and undergo extensive trials before being handed over to the Indian Navy for commissioning into ...

Six more held in connection with death of JU student, officer says

The Kolkata Police arrested six more people in connection with its probe into the death of a first-year student of Jadavpur University, a senior officer said on Wednesday. With these arrests, the city police apprehended a total of nine people in the case. Dean of Students and Registrar of JU were asked to meet Joint CP Crime on Wednesday at the Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters, the officer said. The city police have taken cognisance of JU students' social media posts, including photographs, which suggest that there was an element of sexual harassment in the ragging of the deceased. Three former students of the varsity are among the six held on Tuesday night during multiple operations conducted by teams of the city police, the officer said. "We arrested them last night after they gave incoherent replies to our officers during questioning. It seems that they were actively involved in the death of the student. We will produce them in a court later in the day," he told ...