News Analysis India

Tag: West Bengal

  • CM Mamata protests move to place ‘anti-people’ Electricity Bill in Parliament in letter to PM Modi

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Protesting the Centre’s move to place the “anti-people” Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in Parliament, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday shot a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to refrain from proceeding with the legislation.

    She requested the PM “to ensure that a broad-based and transparent dialogue on the subject is opened up at the earliest”.

    “I write this letter to re-lodge my protest against the Union Government’s fresh move to place the much-criticised Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020, in Parliament.

    “It was proposed to be moved last year, but many of us had underlined the anti-people aspects of the draft legislation, and at least I had detailed out all the salient pitfalls of the Bill in a letter to you on June 12, 2020,” she wrote.

    Banerjee had written to Modi on June 12 last year, expressing outrage over the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020, which, she, said, was an attempt by the Centre to “destroy” the country’s federal structure.

    She claimed that the bill aims to make the entire state electricity grid an appendage of the National Grid.

    “I am stunned to hear that the Bill is coming back without any consideration for our reservations, and in fact with some graver anti-people features this time,” she added.

  • MeT department predicts more rainfall in flood-hit West Bengal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The already grim flood situation in south Bengal is likely to worsen with the MeT department on Wednesday predicting heavy rainfall in the region owing to a cyclonic circulation over the north Bay of Bengal and the presence of an active monsoon trough.

    Several districts, including South 24 Parganas, Howrah, East Midnapore and Hooghly, are reeling under flood woes following heavy rain and subsequent discharge of water from Damodar Valley Corporation dams.

    “Due to a cyclonic circulation over north Bay of Bengal and its adjoining areas and the movement of a monsoon trough from Sriniketan, Diamond Harbour to northeast Bay of Bengal, widespread rainfall activity is likely in the districts of Gangetic West Bengal from August 4 to 6,” regional MeT department director GK Das said.

    He warned of heavy to very heavy rain at one or two places in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Howrah and Hooghly districts till Thursday morning.

    The MeT department said that heavy rain is expected to occur at one or two places in Kolkata, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum and Jhargram districts. The downpour is likely to continue in South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur till Friday morning, and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia districts till Saturday morning, it said.

    The weatherman also cautioned against rise in water level of rivers and inundation of low-lying areas in Gangetic West Bengal. At least 15 people died, and over three lakh got displaced after heavy rain over the past few days, followed by release of water from DVC dams flooded large parts of six districts in the state.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Chief Minister Banerjee earlier in the day to take stock of the flood situation, and assured her of central assistance.

  • West Bengal floods: PM Modi dials CM Mamata Banerjee, assures her of all help to mitigate situation

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday and took stock of the flood situation in the state, a senior official of the state government said. The prime minister assured Banerjee of all central assistance to mitigate the flood situation, he said.

    The chief minister, who was visiting flood-hit Udaynarayanpur in Howrah district, was learned to have told the prime minister that her administration will send a report to the PMO on the flood situation, and damages caused by the deluge after completing the survey, the official said.

    At least 15 people have been killed and nearly 3 lakh were displaced as large parts of six districts of the state have been inundated due to heavy rain and the release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation and the Durgapur Barrage.

  • SFI demands increase in seats in both higher secondary and UG level in West Bengal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has demanded an increase in seats for students in higher secondary and undergraduate level as the pass percentage in both Class 10 and 12 West Bengal board examination this year was 100 hundred per cent.

    The SFI is the students’ arm of the CPI(M).

    SFI state general secretary Srijan Bhattacharya said in a statement on Tuesday, to accommodate this increased number of students raising the seats at both levels in higher secondary schools and colleges/universities are the need of the hour.

    The SFI iterated its earlier demand of partially starting physical on-campus classes in educational institutions after vaccinating all the students.

    “The past one and half year’s experience shows a sizeable section of students cannot afford smartphones or tabs which are necessary to attend online classes and semester exams and on-campus classes are the only solution,” Subhajit Sarkar, SFI state committee member told PTI.

    The SFI statement described this as ‘digital divide’ claiming this resulted in the dropout of many students, many of them girls from poor families and can be an impediment to female education.

    Alleging that both the BJP government at the Centre and TMC government in West Bengal have shown scant concern to the issue, the SFI demanded a stimulus package be declared for the underprivileged students on an emergency basis.

  • BJP like a family, senior leaders will try to convince Supriyo: Bengal MP Jagganath Sarkar

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Reacting to BJP leader Babul Supriyo’s announcement of quitting politics, the party MP Jagganath Sarkar said that the senior leaders of the party will try to convince him as BJP needs Supriyo.

    Sarkar assured that Supriyo will remain in the party and would be given some important responsibilities in the West Bengal unit of the party.

    Speaking to ANI, Sarkar said, “In some situations, a person feels like leaving his house when he is upset but it is our work to convince him and bring him back. BJP is like a large family. The senior members of the party will try to explain to him that the party needs him in future and he will be given an important responsibility in the party.”

    The Lok Sabha MP said: “If Supriyo will leave the party at this juncture, everyone will think that he took this step because he had to resign from the ministerial post. However, Supriyo has informed that this is not the reason for quitting politics. In my view, this is not right and he should have waited.”

    “Supriyo is an independent person. He left his banking job to be a singer and then eventually joined politics. There must be something going on in his mind. He had met some senior leaders in the party and discussed his issues with them. The senior leaders will talk to him,” Sarkar said.

    He further said, “Many- a-times, we take wrong decisions and eventually realise our mistake. I hope that the present situation will change and Babul dada will take the right decision. He will remain with us and he has handled the responsibilities of the party earlier too and will continue to do so.”

    Bharatiya Janata Party leader Babul Supriyo on Saturday said he is leaving politics and will also resign as an MP.

    Supriyo, who resigned earlier this month as minister of state for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said in a Facebook post that there was a difference of opinion between him and the state BJP leaders and that the difference of opinion among senior leaders was “harming the party”.

    Supriyo stated that there was a difference of opinion between him and the state BJP leaders and that the difference of opinion among senior leaders was “harming the party”.

    Supriyo said he will also resign as an MP.

    The MP had said earlier he is not going to any political party and TMC, Congress, CPI(M) had not called him.

    Babul Supriyo joined the BJP in 2014 and has been elected twice from Asansol.

    Babul Supriyo, who represents Asansol in Lok Sabha, briefly referred to his moving out to the union council of ministers earlier this month. He lost in the assembly polls held earlier this year.

    The MP, who is a film artist and singer, said social work can be done without being in politics.

  • 12-year-old trafficking survivor becomes West Bengal child rights’ body chairperson for one hour

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: A 12-year-old boy, survivor of child trafficking and child labour was made the chairperson of West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) for an hour, an official said. The boy, who was rescued from a household in north Bengal seven years back where he was working as a domestic help, was made of the chairperson of WBPCR on Friday.

    “After being rescued by Childline NGO with the help of police, the boy got a new lease of life. We appointed him as the chairperson of the WBCPCR for one hour on the International Day against Trafficking on July 30 to share his valuable experience and feedback on the issue,” a spokesperson of WBCPCR said.

    The boy as WBPCR chairperson wrote a letter to West Bengal Women and Child Development and Social Welfare minister Shashi Panja and demanded that the state must ensure education for all children for their bright future.

    He said that traffickers and perpetrators of child labour should be punished strongly and fined heavily. They should be made to bear all expenses of education of the victim. The boy in the letter said that many children are forced into child labour because of the situation at home.

    The government must ensure sponsorship for such children so that they don’t have to leave school. He also demanded that a strict child labour law must be created to instil the fear of law in people. The 12-year-old also advocated for setting up of more parks and playrounds for children.

    “All drug, cigarette and gutka companies must be closed and the government should build schools in their place,” the letter in the official letterhead of the panel with memo number 1112..,” said.

    The letter, which was available with PTI on Saturday, also demanded “traffickers and perpetrators of child labour should be punished strongly, made to bear all expenses of education for the trafficked child”. It also demanded that the government should work towards creating awareness among children not to interact with unknown people or accept anything from them.

    A panel spokesperson said the child, who now studies in class 7 and stays at a children’s home, was brought to the household by a trafficker without the knowledge of his parents and forced to do jobs like mopping floor, washing utensils, fetching water and even babysitting the granddaughter of the family.

    The boy is now under the custody of the panel and is a fan of International football icon Messi. “I want to be a commando when I grow up, and rescue all children in distress,” the boy told the commission members when asked about his aim in life.

  • Jadavpur University teachers’ body slams West Bengal government for not allowing online interview

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) on Friday slammed the decision of West Bengal Higher Education department to turn down the request of the premier state university to allow it admit students to science stream on the basis of online interview/discussions.

    The Jadavpur university authorities last week had sent a proposal to the department to allow it to conduct admission to the science stream on the basis of marks awarded in the higher secondary examination as well as assessment made by the faculty on the basis of online interview/discussion with the students on 80:20 ratio.

    However, in its reply on Thursday, the higher education department said “with reference to your letter dated 23.07.21…I am directed to request you to follow the existing norms”, indicating the earlier direction to the state universities not to conduct any admission test in any format for UG and PG courses.

    JU Pro-Vice Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya said, “We are yet to decide on the modalities after the higher education department reply. We will take a decision very soon.” JUTA, the representative body of JU faculty, said the move will severely compromise the high academic standard set by JU and an affront on the functional autonomy of the august institution.

    “Due to the COVID-19 restrictions we cannot organise any demonstration at the campus at present, but we will certainly chalk out other forms of protest soon,” JUTA general secretary Partha Pratim Roy said. “While private universities will be able to screen their students through their admission procedures, only state universities are singled out and their autonomy interfered with,” he said.

    The university had last week decided if the 80:20 ratio formula for undergraduate (UG) admission (80 per cent weightage to higher secondary marks and 20 per cent weightage to online interview/ discussion assessment) to science stream was allowed, similar criteria will be used for arts stream.

    Roy also regretted that the state higher education department is yet to formulate any stand on the recent UGC guidelines to the universities about ways to conduct the semester exams which were already conducted in June by many universities.

    “While the higher education department is too eager to stipulate the admission criteria of state universities, it is yet to take a call on the last UGC communication to universities in July about ways to hold semester exams, which has totally confused students and teachers at the same time where semester exams had been held in June already,” he said.

  • West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee calls on Nitin Gadkari, discusses projects in state

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Union Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari here on Thursday and discussed several infrastructure projects in the state with him in a bid to invite global investors.

    Banerjee, who is in Delhi to initiate talks with opposition parties to stitch together a united front against the ruling BJP, brought up pending road and transport projects, including the deep-sea port at Tajpur, in her discussions with Gadkari, sources said.

    The sea port, located nearly 200 km from Kolkata, is expected to draw an investment of Rs 15,000 crore and generate 25,000 jobs in West Bengal. The sources said Banerjee will also meet ministers of key departments such as petroleum, aviation, railways and commerce soon to discuss various development projects in the state.

    Chief Minister of West Bengal Sushri @MamataOfficial called on Union Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari Ji today. In the presence of officials they reviewed various road projects being undertaken in the state. pic.twitter.com/ueDD4jTys0
    — Office Of Nitin Gadkari (@OfficeOfNG) July 29, 2021

    “Chief Minister of West Bengal Sushri @MamataOfficial called on Union Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari Ji today. In the presence of officials they reviewed various road projects being undertaken in the state,” Gadkari’s office said in a tweet.

    The sources said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo also presented a report to the Union minister on the construction of rural roads in West Bengal under the third phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

  • Unity of opposition parties will take shape on its own, says Mamata

    By PTI
    NEW DELIH: Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the unity of opposition parties will take shape on its own, sidestepping questions of her taking on the leadership role.

    Banerjee, who is in the national capital for the first time after her party’s resounding victory in the assembly polls, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described it as part of protocol.

    “I had asked for an appointment from the PM. This was a courtesy visit. Post election, following the protocol we have to meet the PM once. But I also spoke about the Covid situation. I asked him to ensure that West Bengal gets enough vaccine doses. I am not against giving vaccines to other states, but considering the population of Bengal, we need more doses,” she told reporters after the meeting.

    She said during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bengal in May, there was no scope for a one-to-one meeting.

    Banerjee also said that she mentioned the issue of the change in West Bengal’s name and told him that it was a long pending issue that should be resolved.

    While Banerjee refused to say if she discussed the Pegasus project with Modi, said that the prime minister should convene an all-party meet on the snooping row and decide on a Supreme Court-led probe.

    When asked if she has lined up a series of meetings with the Opposition parties with the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in mind, she said that the general elections are far away.

    “However planning for it has to be done in advance. Like there is election in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Tripura. Like how happened in Tripura with our boys and the issue of Dainik Jagran,” she said.

    Asked about her efforts to unite the Opposition leaders, she said that it will happen “automatically”.

    “Opposition unity will happen naturally, automatically,” she said. On whether she will lead the Opposition against the BJP, she said, “The country will lead the Opposition, we are the followers.

    ” She said that she will meet all Opposition members after the Parliament session is over and the coronavirus situation normalises, indicating that another visit soon was on the anvil.

    This time around, however, she has her itinerary set with meetings with opposition party leaders who are seeking time from her and those like Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi who has invited her for tea.

    “She has called me for a chai per charcha tomorrow. Many of these leaders are my old friends. We discuss about old and new times. I will meet Arvind Kejriwal day after tomorrow. Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi asked for time, I have given them time. I will meet my party MPs tomorrow. I met Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Anand Sharma and Abhishek Manu Singhvi today,” she said.

    A name missing from her list was that of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. “I haven’t spoken to Sharad Pawar. I will meet him after the monsoon session,” she said.

    She also said that she wants to meet the President but she has been informed that she needs to get a RT PCR test done, which, according to her, is difficult to do.

  • West Bengal: Students agitate against higher secondary exam result, take to streets

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Disgruntled students hit the streets in different parts of West Bengal on Monday, the second time since the publication of the state higher secondary results on July 22, demanding that they be declared as passed and their marks be increased as no examinations were held this year due to the COVID pandemic and evaluations were based on previous results.

    A number of students agitated at Ananda Ashram Bidyalaya at Naktala and Shyambazar AV School in different parts of city demanding their marks be raised, while at Basanti and Bisnupur in South 24 Parganas district and Domkal in Murshidabad district the candidates demanded they be declared as passed.

    At Domkal Higher Secondary School, a section of students even damaged the furniture of a office room from where mark sheets were being distributed alleging that they were being unfairly held back though no exams had taken place, the reports said, Police went to the spot and there was no further untoward incident.

    At Bisnupur and at Naktala the agitating students blocked roads disrupting traffic. They later lifted the blockades after the police persuaded them to do so. In some schools the students, accompanied by guardians, gheraoed the head masters, eyewitnesses said. “We have sent report to the West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education about today’s incident,” the headmaster of the school at Naktala said.

    School education department sources said the district inspectors of schools of the districts where such protests took place have been asked to visit the concerned institutions and send their reports about the reason behind the students’ grievances at the earliest.

    A girl student of the 166-year-old Shyambazar AV School told reporters “When no exams were held how come some of us got 29 in practicals and some only 9. We demand immediate action by the Council.”

    The students said they were baffled by the Council’s evaluation process. “As no examination was held due to the COVID-19 situation then why the discrimination ? Either all of us be declared as passed or failed,” many of them said.

    Of the 8,19,202 higher secondary candidates, 97.69 per cent of them have passed the examination this year. About 20,000 of them have been declared unsuccessful. An evaluation method had been worked out this year based on marks obtained by an examinee in the Madhyamik (class 10 examination) and best of four subject scores in class 11 annual examination.

    The assessment marks in class twelve practical s in the case of science students and projects by humanities students were added in the evaluation criteria. The evaluation was praised by principals of different colleges and authorities in the state run universities as being scientific, fair and dynamic.

    The educationists had expressed the fear that marking 100 per cent as passed and 90 per cent as first division holders in Secondary Examination (class ten board exams), result of which was declared earlier, will create crisis and deficit of seats in higher secondary institutions.