Page 95 - West Bengal

Demand for work under MGNREGS in FY24 to be 27% lower than in FY23

This is due to improved economic conditions in India and a new attendance system introduced in February

TMC's Mukul Roy says he is in New Delhi after family's 'untraceable' claim

Senior TMC leader Mukul Roy said he has reached New Delhi for some personal work, hours after his family claimed that he was "untraceable" since late Monday evening. Roy told reporters that he reached the national capital but had no specific agenda. "I have been an MP for several years. Can I not come to Delhi? Earlier, I used to come to Delhi regularly," Roy said. Although Roy has remained tightlipped about the agenda of his visit, the political circles in West Bengal were abuzz with speculations over his next political move. The former railway minister's son Subhragshu Roy lodged a police complaint, mentioning that his father was untraceable. Subhragshu had told PTI that his father was "untraceable" and "missing" since late Monday evening. Roy joined the BJP in 2017 following differences with the TMC leadership. He was made BJP national vice president in 2020. He won the 2021 assembly polls on a BJP ticket and later returned to the TMC just a month after the results were ...

All educational institutions in Bengal to remain closed next week: CM

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said all educational institutions in the state will remain closed next week in view of the severe heatwave conditions. Banerjee said children have been complaining of headaches and other health issues after coming back from school in the last few days. "All educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities will remain closed from Monday till Saturday next week, keeping in mind the severe heatwave conditions. I urge the private educational institutions to do the same during this period, Banerjee told a Bengali news channel. The CM said an official notification in this regard will be issued soon. "I will also request people to avoid coming out in the sun from 12 pm to 4 pm," she said. The West Bengal government had earlier announced preponing the summer vacation in state-run and aided schools by three weeks to May 2, except in the hill areas, due to the sweltering heat. Most places in the state have been record

Unmask corruption, misrule by TMC, Amit Shah tells Bengal BJP's unit

Union Home Minister and top BJP leader Amit Shah has asked the party's Bengal unit to unitedly fight against the ruling TMC and unmask corruption and misrule by it, a senior party leader said on Saturday. He also asked the BJP state unit to strengthen its organisation, he said. Shah, who is on a two-day visit to the state, held two rounds of closed-door organisational meetings with the state-level leaders of the party during his visit. He held one meeting on Friday night and another on Saturday morning. "Amit Shah Ji has said that the party needs to be strengthened at the grassroot level and will grow only on the strength of its organisation. He has said when a party is in the opposition, it has to face many challenges. It has to emerge victorious after facing those challenges," the BJP leader said on condition of anonymity. According to sources in the party, Shah set the target of winning 35 plus seats from the eastern state in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll. He asked party leaders to p

Shah targets winning 35 seats in Bengal, says TMC won't survive beyond 2025

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday set a target for the BJP to win 35 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in next year's election and claimed that the Mamata Banerjee government in the state won't survive beyond 2025 if the goal is achieved. Asserting that Narendra Modi would again be the country's prime minister in 2024, Shah said that leaders like Mamata Banerjee can never give a befitting reply to Pakistan or fight militancy in Kashmir. Shah's comments drew sharp reactions from the TMC, which asked how a union minister could "openly threaten to topple an elected government". While the party's virtual number two Abhishek Banerjee, whom Shah had targeted in his speech, chipped in to say in a tweet that he would quit politics if the home minister released the Rs 1.15 lakh crore rightfully due to my state. "Let me make it very clear that in 2024, Narendra Modi will again be the country's Prime Minister. The people of Bengal have given us great responsibility by giving us

Will not beg in front of Centre for clearance of Bengal's dues: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that the Centre's huge dues to the state will not be released till 2024, but asserted she would not beg in front of the Union government for clearance of the amount. "We have a lot of dues, which are yet to be released by Delhi. I have heard that funds will not be released till 2024. But, despite that I will not beg in front of them. I will try to move forward with the blessings of people," she said. The CM was speaking at the inauguration of the Dhanadhanyo' auditorium, a modern Rs 440-crore indoor facility in the southern part of the city's Alipore area. Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have been pressing for the immediate release of dues to the state under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and other centrally sponsored projects. She had recently taken part in a two-day demonstration here, demanding the central government release the dues. TMC national general secretary Abhishek

Shah to start tours of various states including Bengal, Goa from tomorrow

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit four states in the three days from Friday as he spearheads the BJP's drive to tone up its organisation machinery and boost public outreach in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls next year. Party leaders said Shah will visit Birbhum in West Bengal on Friday followed by Bharatpur in Rajasthan on Saturday and Maharashtra and Goa on Sunday. He will lay the foundation stone of a party office and address a rally in Birbhum and address a meeting of booth presidents in Rajasthan, they said. In Maharashtra, Shah is scheduled to attend an event in Raigarh, where 'Maharashtra Bhushan' award will be given to Appasaheb Dharmadhikari. He will address a public meeting in south Goa on Sunday, BJP leaders added.

IMD issues heatwave warning for parts of Bengal, Odisha, Andhra, Bihar

Parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar may experience heatwave conditions over the next three to four days, the India Meteorological Department said on Thursday. Earlier this month, the Met office predicted above-normal maximum temperatures for most parts of the country from April to June, except parts of the northwest and the peninsular regions. Above-normal heatwave days are expected in most parts of central, east, and northwest India during this period. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heatwave conditions are likely in isolated pockets of Gangetic West Bengal until Monday (April 17), north coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha until Saturday (April 15) and Bihar from April 15 to April 17. The maximum temperatures in central and north peninsular India are hovering in the range of 40 to 42 degrees Celsius at present. The weather department said maximum temperatures are three to five notches above normal in many parts of the western ...

Mamata Banerjee to hold review meeting with all senior officials next week

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called a state administrative review meeting next week at the state secretariat to find out the status of the various state-operated schemes, a senior official said on Wednesday. The meeting assumes significance as the panchayat elections will be held soon in the state. All officers in the rank of joint secretary and above have been asked to be present at the meeting on April 26. The Head of the Departments were asked to submit a brief updated report on the allocation and utilisation of funds to the Chief Minister's Office by April 19, the official said. "The CM will chair the meeting and review the progress of various schemes of the state government," the bureaucrat said. Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi on Wednesday held a meeting with senior officials of various departments and those in the districts and set a deadline of the second week of May to resolve all the complaints received at 'Duare Sarkar' (government at doorstep) and other portal

Summer vacation in Bengal schools preponed by 3 weeks due to intense heat

The summer vacation in West Bengal government-run and aided schools will begin from May 2 instead of the earlier schedule of May 24 in the wake of sweltering heat across the state, a senior official said on Wednesday. An official notification in this regard is, however, yet to be issued. "Due to the intense heat, a decision has been taken to reschedule the summer vacations. It will now start from May 2. The decision was taken on the insistence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee," the official told PTI. Later, when Education Minister Bratya Basu was asked by reporters about the development, he replied in the affirmative. According to the India Meteorological Department, heat wave conditions will persist in West Bengal during the weekend. The districts of Bankura, Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Paschim Bardhaman and Birbhum will experience hot and dry weather and the temperature may increase by 2-4 degrees, the Met Department said.

Kuntal Ghosh files complaint alleging pressure from central agencies

Kuntal Ghosh on Wednesday forwarded the complaint to the Hasting Police Station through the superintendent of Presidency Central Correctional Home in Kolkata

Warrant against 7 accused in Kolkata clashes, NIA announces award

The NIA has announced an award of Rs 1,00,000 each for anyone who provides information about these seven absconding accused

Cattle scam: Cop questioned by ED transferred to insignificant post

According to sources, the probe agency came across some properties worth hefty amounts in the names of some of Ali's relatives

Ahead of panchayat polls, Amit Shah to visit West Bengal this week

Amit Shah is all set to visit West Bengal on April 14-15 as a part of the ongoing preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha election

TCS, Reliance, Adani eye Bengal 'Silicon Valley,' state govt moving swiftly

The government hopes that the 250-acre tech hub, located in New Town, Kolkata, will attract an investment of Rs 1 trillion and create 50,000 direct jobs

Fact finding' team in West Bengal to disturb peace, alleges Mamata

Describing the current situation in the violence-hit areas of West Bengal as "peaceful", Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that a fact finding' team sent by a little-known NGO was visiting the state in a bid to disrupt law and order situation here. Questioning the authority of the team headed by a former Patna High Court judge, Banerjee pointed out that Ram Navami processions organised by BJP had carried arms and driven tractors and deliberately taken routes where Namaz' was being offered. "The situation is absolutely peaceful now. To disrupt peace in the area, the fact finding team has come here. What is the function of this team? What does it do? In every matter, they (the Centre) send the Human Rights Commission, Women's Commission, Child Commission and Media Commission," Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said. West Bengal has witnessed violence in parts of Hooghly and Howrah districts during Ram Navami rallies. Police did not allow the 'fact-finding'

CBI forms STF to investigate teachers recruitment scam in West Bengal

The CBI has formed a special task force (STF) to speed up the ongoing investigation of the alleged teachers recruitment scam in West Bengal, a senior official of the probe body said on Monday. The team will reach the city soon and begin the probe into the alleged scam, he said. The STF will comprise seven senior officers - an SP, three DSPs, two inspectors and one SI drawn from New Delhi, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Dhanbad, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar. "With there being developments in the teachers' recruitment scam in Bengal almost daily we need more officers to deal with that. We had written to the Delhi headquarters recently and these officers will be joining the probe," said a senior CBI official. Former state minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested in July last year by Enforcement Directorate probing the money trail in the SSC recruitment scam for his alleged involvement in it, is currently in jail custody at the Presidency correctional home. Several officers of the education ...

Ram Navami riots in Bengal pre-planned, orchestrated, shows report

The fact-finding team was on a three-day tour of West Bengal to assess alleged human rights violations in the state during Ram Navami processions in Howrah and Hooghly districts

CDS Chauhan reviews infra development, preparedness in North Bengal

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan visited Air Force Station and forward areas in North Bengal along with General Officer Commanding, Trishakti Corps on April 8-9.He reviewed the progress of infrastructure development and operational and logistics preparedness in the area. The CDS also interacted with the troops deployed in the remote areas and appreciated their high morale and professionalism, said the Ministry of DefenceGeneral Anil Chauhan also visited the Headquarters of Trishakti Corps at Sukna where he was briefed on the operational situation along the Northern borders in Sikkim.He commended the formation for ensuring force preservation while also reaching out to assist the civil administration and local population in times of natural disasters like the recent avalanche in East Sikkim.The CDS asked the formation to focus on training hard and remaining vigilant at all times. He also emphasised that soldiers must keep abreast with latest information technology ...

BJP will come to power in West Bengal, claims Tripura CM Manik Saha

Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal of not giving democratic space to political opponents Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha Saturday claimed that BJP will come to power in the state in the coming days to usher in a peaceful, transparent and development-oriented regime. Saha speaking at a felicitation programme organised by the BJP having the theme 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat' at the National Library here said a double-engine government can propel the growth of a state in a federal structure, more if the governments at the Centre and state are helmed by the same party. He urged the people of Bengal to go for this model. Saha said while coming from the airport he could see flags and flexes of only the TMC. This shows that the TMC does not want to give any democratic space to the other opposition parties. You may not allow BJP flags but the saffron party has captured the imagination of common people who believe in the development and growth mantra of BJP, the 'Ek Bha