Page 94 - West Bengal

PM conducting 'Mann ki Baat', while Centre deprives WB of funds: TMC leader

Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'Mann ki Baat' radio broadcast and said while its 100th episode was heralded with great fanfare, the poor masses of Bengal were deprived of Central funds under the 100-day MGNREGA scheme. In the 100th episode of 'Mann ki Baat', Modi on Sunday said the broadcast filled the "emptiness" he felt after coming to Delhi in 2014 and described it as an expression of the feelings of crores of Indians which has ensured he is never cut-off from people. "On the one hand, the prime minister is busy conducting the 100th episode of the Mann ki Baat programme, and the Centre, out of vendetta, has stopped the funds due to Bengal. "They are depriving the poor people of West Bengal by denying MGNREGA funds to Bengal. It (BJP) is trying to punish the state's people for their defeat in the last assembly poll in 2021. It is yet to accept the defeat," he said while addressing a rally in Uttar Dinajpur ...

Noted historian Ranajit Guha dies at 100 due to old age-related ailments

Noted historian Ranajit Guha has died due to old age-related ailments, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday. Guha, who was 100 years old, died at his residence in Austria on Friday. He left behind his wife Mechthild. Condoling his demise, Banerjee said Guha was instrumental in motivating young historians in pursuing studies on the subaltern society. The CM said Guha had taught in many places across the world and has many disciples and admirers. She offered her deepest condolences to his near and dear ones. Born on May 23, 1923 at Barisal in present-day Bangladesh, Guha's family later shifted to Kolkata. He had studied in a school in the city and completed his post-graduation in History from Calcutta University. Guha retired from the Australian National University in 1988 after being previously associated with other renowned institutions. One of his well-known books is 'Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India'. "The world of knowledge su

Bengal govt to conduct audit to identify irregularities in PMAY scheme

The official added the audit will give a strong point of argument for the state government for asking the Union government to release the central funds due under this scheme

No official communication to colleges yet regarding 4-year hons in UG level

The West Bengal higher secondary examination results are due after about a month but the colleges are yet to get any official communication on the possible introduction of four year under graduate honours course from the next academic year. The higher education department is yet to come up with any official communique about the issue. Colleges and universities need to ready the infrastructure for any new arrangement, the president of West Bengal Council of Higher Education Chiranjib Bhattacharya has said. Education minister Bratya Basu had in recent occasions said that there was wide consensus among experts for implementation of some key features of National Education Policy, 2020, like four-year honours course in UG courses in place of the existing three years and one year post graduate course instead of two years, or 4+1 format in place of the erstwhile 3+2 format. "We have sent our recommendations to the higher education department after weighng the pros and cons of the erstwh

Income tax collection in West Bengal rises 2.4% at Rs 56,422 cr in FY23

Income tax collection in West Bengal increased 2.4 per cent at Rs 56,422 crore during financial year 2022-23 over previous fiscal, an official of the department said on Thursday. The target collection for the current fiscal 2023-24 stands at Rs 64,700 crore, principal chief commissioner of Income Tax for West Bengal and Sikkim, Smita Srivastava said. She said that tax collection from West Bengal has increased as overall industrial scenario has improved in the state. Residents of Sikkim are exempted from paying income tax, but not for those who have gone there from other places. Srivastava said that steel and cement sectors have not fared well. According to her, compliance has improved while TDS collection during the last fiscal has improved. The other aspect which contributed to the rise in collection is formalisation of the large informal sector. Srivastava launched a book 'Income Tax Pleading and Practice' written jointly by Narayan Jain and Dilip Loyalka.

Centre stalled funds for Bengal to fund Central Vista project: TMC leader

Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday accused the BJP-led Centre of stalling funds due to West Bengal to fund the Central Vista project. Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary, while addressing a rally as part of the 'Trinamool-eh Nabajowar' (new wave in Trinamool) mass outreach campaign, criticised the BJP MPs from West Bengal for being party to the conspiracy in withholding the dues of the state. "The TMC is the only party which will fight for your rights. The BJP government has withheld funds under the MNREGA scheme as it is yet to accept its defeat in the 2021 assembly polls. The BJP government has stalled funds for poor people in Bengal and is using that money to fund the Central Vista project in New Delhi," he said at a rally at Kumargram. Banerjee's remark drew sharp reactions from the BJP, which dubbed the allegations as baseless. "The funds have been stopped as the state has stopped submitting utilisation certificates on the funds spent under MNREGA. As the

Calcutta HC orders NIA probe into violence in Shibpur during Ram Navami

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered an NIA investigation into the violence in Shibpur in Howrah district during Ram Navami celebrations. Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, a division bench presided by Acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam directed for the transfer of investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the West Bengal Police. In the PIL, Adhikari sought an NIA probe into the violence, during which it was alleged that bombs exploded. The court directed the state police to transfer all records and CCTV footage relating to the matter to the central government within two weeks. The Centre was directed to send the documents to the NIA thereafter.

West Bengal Guv consents to state Lokayukta extension for two years

West Bengal Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose on Wednesday gave consent to extend the term of office of state Lokayukta, Justice (Retired) Ashim Kumar Roy, for a period of over two years, the Raj Bhavan said in a statement. Justice (Retired) Roy will continue to be Bengal Lokayukta till August 29, 2025, it added. He was appointed the Lokayukta of the state in November 2018.

Essar to invest Rs 2,000 cr in Bengal's Raniganj brownfield CBM project

Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL) will invest another Rs 2,000 crore in the next 18 to 24 months in its coal bed methane project in West Bengal's Raniganj, an official said. The company earlier had already invested Rs 5,000 crore in the Raniganj block in drilling 350 wells and producing nearly 0.9 million metric standard cubic metres (mmscd) of gas per day. Chief executive officer (CEO) of EOGEPL, Pankaj Kalra, told PTI that another investment of Rs 2,000 crore will be made for drilling 200 more wells in the next 18 to 24 months. "We are employing the latest technology in the existing wells to ramp up production from 0.9 mmscd to 1.3 mmscd which will be completed in a few months ", Kalra said. Total CBM production from Ranigunj will touch around three mmscd when the additional wells become operational, Kalra added. He said the company is currently contributing nearly 65 per cent to the country's total CBM production, which is likely to go up to 90 per cen

Abhishek starts new campaign, says BJP's narrative won't dictate politics

Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday said polls to 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal will be held on the issue of development and not on the "communal" narrative propagated by the BJP. Banerjee, who earlier in the day launched a mass outreach campaign Trinamool ey Nabajowar' (new wave in Trinamool) from Cooch Behar district with an eye on the upcoming rural polls in the state, said that the TMC aims at building people's panchayat in the state. "The next Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal will be held on the issue of development. It will not be held on the issue of communal polarisation, which the BJP wants. They have to be defeated. We will fight for rights of the people of the state," he said while addressing a rally as part of the campaign. Lok Sabha polls in the country are due in 2024. Banerjee, the TMC's national general secretary, commenced the mass outreach campaign at a temple in the Dinhata assembly constituency. He spoke to locals and heard of their ...

Vodafone Idea expands retail footprint in rural parts of West Bengal

Aiming to reach people outside cities and major towns, Vodafone Idea on Monday said it has been aggressively expanding its retail footprint in rural India, including in West Bengal. The private telecom operator added over 130 new-format 'Vi Shops' in tier III locations across 20 districts in West Bengal within 45 days, it said. Till now 330 Vi Shops have been rolled out in the state since November 2022. Nationally the number of such stores is 1,100 in 18 states as of February. The modern design of the new format Vi Shops aligns with signature elements that define existing Vi Stores in urban locations. The shops offer the entire bouquet of Vi prepaid products and services. We have taken a renewed approach to our rural retail strategy and moved closer to customers by introducing the concept of Vi Shops across multiple small towns and tier III markets. "We have scaled up to 330 Vi Shops in Rural West Bengal, under one of the fastest retail expansion exercises in the country, said ...

Thunderstorm to moderate rain in South Bengal districts in next 3 days: MeT

An overcast sky on Sunday morning and very light rain at one or two places brought down temperatures in most parts of south Bengal, which have been sizzling under heatwave conditions for over 10 days, bringing relief to the denizens. The Met department has forecast thunderstorms and light to moderate rain in all districts of south Bengal for the next three days. People of south Bengal woke up to an overcast sky on Sunday morning and very light rain in some areas, which brought down the night and day temperatures significantly. Most places recorded five to seven degrees lower temperatures than what it was a couple of days ago. Kolkata recorded a maximum day temperature of 34.8 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 24 degrees, while Bankura, which had been recorded the state's highest temperature constantly at over 44 degree Celsius, recorded 36.7 degrees on Sunday, the Met data said.

CBI conducts searches at TMC MLA's premises in West Bengal, Karnataka

Documents recovered during searches are being scrutinised

Bengal may soon become top market for direct selling revenue: IDSA official

West Bengal could soon become the highest-contributing market to direct selling revenue in the country, surpassing Maharashtra, a senior official of a leading industry body said. West Bengal has performed consistently well as a market for direct selling in India, and once again emerged as the second-highest revenue-grossing state, accounting for 10.4 per cent of the national sales, he said. The direct selling industry in West Bengal has come close to the Rs 2,000-crore mark to touch Rs 1,984 crore in 2021-22. The sustained growth in the state and the eastern region came at a particularly challenging time, bucking the otherwise negative trend across the consumer sector during the dominant Covid phases of 2021-22, the official of the Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) said on Friday. The state may soon become the biggest contributor to direct selling revenue in the country if there is adequate policy support, he told PTI here on the sidelines of the West Bengal Direct Selling ..

Bengal municipalities recruitment scam estimated at Rs 200 crore: ED

The ED has maintained that during the course of raid and search operations at the residence of private real estate promoter Ayan Shil in connection with the multi- crore teachers' recruitment scam

Some are pursuing politics of hate to try divide the country : Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday claimed some people are trying to divide the nation by pursuing politics of hate and said that she is ready to give her life but "will not allow a division of the country". Banerjee, speaking at a congregation for Eid namaz at the city's Red Road, also urged people to unite and ensure that the right-wing BJP party is defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "Some people are trying to divide the country and practise politics of hate ... I am ready to give my life but will not allow any division of the country," she said. Accusing the saffron camp of trying to change the constitution of the country, Banerjee said "she will not allow implementation of NRC in West Bengal." It has been the TMC's stand tht the National Register of Citizens and the citizen's amendment act which confers citizenship rights on minorities from neighbouring countries was needed and existing citixenship records and acts were sufficient. "I am ready to fight

Amartya Sen-Visva Bharati land row turns into political slugfest in WB

A political hullabaloo erupted over this observation of Sen, ignoring his supplementary observations on this point

TMC announces new mass outreach campaign ahead of WB panchayat polls

The ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday announced a new mass outreach programme with an eye on the upcoming panchayat elections in West Bengal. Among other targets, the programme seeks to empower voters to choose candidates, whom the party will give nominations. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee told a press conference that the campaign, christened 'Trinamooley Nabajowar' (new wave in Trinamool), will start from April 25 and continue for 60 days during which he will cover 3500 kilometres from the northern part of the state to the southern. "This programme will reach out to the masses and empower them to choose candidates for the three-tier panchayat system to build a people's panchayat. There will be a secret ballot system organised by the party, where villagers can provide feedback on who they want as their candidate. The party will nominate that person," he said. Banerjee, considered the number 2 in the TMC, said the programme aims at ushering in a new wave of ..

Schneider Electric to set up new factory in Bengal at Rs 140 cr investment

Schneider Electric on Thursday said it will invest Rs 140 crore to set up a new factory in West Bengal. The new facility will located at Prospace Industrial Park Pvt Ltd in Kolkata, covering an area of 9 acres, Schneider Electric said in a statement. "Schneider Electric aims to grow its capacity in producing products such as vacuum interrupters (VI) and strengthen its power systems vertical through this new factory," it said. This new facility is planned to be completed by February 2024, with the manufacturing operations expected to begin in the second quarter of the next financial year, the company added.

Suvendu dares Bengal CM to sue him over claims of her seeking Shah's help

West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari dared Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to file a legal suit against him for claiming that she had sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah's intervention