News Analysis India

Tag: West Bengal

  • Raise states’ borrowing limits to 5 per cent of GSDP sans condition, Bengal urges FM

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The West Bengal government on Friday suggested to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the borrowing limits of states be raised to 5 per cent of GSDP without any condition to save them from a financial crisis.

    In a letter to Sitharaman, state Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra also expressed disappointment over the proposal of hefty GSTs on items required to fight Covid-19 at the GST Council Meeting held on May 28.

    “You are aware that just like last year, there has been (a) sudden dip in revenue, threatening the fiscal viability of the states.

    In our case we have been hit by a double whammy — of a second wave of Covid-19 and the cyclone Yaas,” the letter read.

    The Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation due to the states from April 2020 to January 2021 has been estimated at Rs 63,000 crore, out of which West Bengal expects Rs 4,911 crore, Mitra said.

    Referring to the Centre relaxing the borrowing limit of states up to 4 per cent (unconditional) and up to 5 per cent (conditional on certain achievements), he said, “But for the current financial year, annual borrowing limit has been fixed at four per cent of GSDP, out of which only 3.5 per cent is unconditional and 0.5 per cent is linked to capital expenditure targets.”

    “In view of the present impasse and the anticipated 3rd wave (of the pandemic), I once again urge you to allow the borrowing limits of states to be raised to 5% of GSDP without condition,” the state finance minister said.

    Mitra also urged Sitaraman on revisiting the matter of the gap to be funded where, he claimed, the borrowing would be Rs 2,13,000 crore instead of the Centre’s estimated Rs 1,58,267 crore.

    “I am taken aback that after a year like 2020-21, it is being expected that our capital expenditure would not only be back on track, but increase by more than 100 per cent since 2019-20,” the letter read.

    Mitra also requested Sitaraman to extend the compensation period for another five years beyond July 2022 “as the GST revenue has not stabilised yet and state finances are reeling under numerous stresses of Covid-19”.

    He also expressed surprise that the Group of Ministers constituted to decide on the rates on the vaccines and medical supplies did not include some of those who had cogently argued against the proposals of putting GST on Covid-related materials.

    The panel will submit its report by June 8.

    “I must express my deep disappointment at hefty GSTs being proposed on items vital in the fight against Covid 19 pandemic, at the 43rd GST Council meeting,” Mitra wrote to Sitharaman in the four-page letter.

    He said that an 18 per cent GST on hand sanitiser is “truly shocking”.

    “Instead of incentivising its use, the proposed GST was disincentivising this life-saving item.

    Similarly, GST was proposed on masks and PPEs used by crores of common people and lakhs of health professionals, respectively.

    Similar was the case of imposing GST on vaccines,” he said.

    Stating that the states in eastern and western coasts have been hit by Cyclone Yaas and Taukte respectively while they were managing the second wave of the Covid-19, Mitra said that the concentration should be on the rehabilitation of those badly affected as well as on universal vaccination.

  • Thane cops nab 50-year-old man wanted for bomb explosion in West Bengal

    By PTI
    THANE: The police in Maharashtra’s Thane city on Friday arrested a 50-year-old man allegedly involved in a bomb explosion in West Bengal, an official said.

    Based on a tip-off, a team from the Thane police’s crime branch nabbed Malik Fakir Mir alias Neya near Thane city railway station in the morning, the official said.

    Mir was allegedly involved in a case of bomb explosion registered with the Basanti police station in Baruipur of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, assistant commissioner of police (Crime) A T Kadam said.

    An offence under section 307 (attempt to murder) and other relevant provisions of the IPC and Arms Act was registered with the local police last year, he said.

    The police have informed the Basanti police about the arrest and also obtained a transit remand for the accused, he added.

  • COVID-19, West Bengal politics on agenda as top functionaries of RSS meet in Delhi

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Top functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Thursday when into a huddle in the national capital to brainstorm on a range of issues, including the Centre’s response to the pandemic, the party defeat in West Bengal, and the post-election violence in the state.

    The meeting is being chaired by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. One of the functionaries, who is attending the deliberations, told The New Indian Express that it is a routine event and internal to the RSS. However, the meeting is taking place against the backdrop of the second wave of the COVID-19.

    One of the functionaries said the RSS will be discussing the impact of the pandemic and the future course of actions, considering that there could potentially be a third wave of the virus this year. The general secretary of the RSS Dattareya Hosbole, and senior functionaries Manmohan Vaidya and Krishna Gopal will be taking part in the deliberations.

    Incidentally, Hosbole had been in Lucknow recently, where the BJP’s central leadership is holding meetings with the state ministers to find ways to improve the relationship between the state government and the party organisation, which is said to have been strained in the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19. 

    RSS leaders have expressed concerns about the political cost of the second wave of the pandemic, which has led to scores of people dying in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka.

    With the RSS having closely followed the West Bengal elections, sources say the discussions may also focus on the reasons for the saffron’s camp below-par performance. The RSS had thrown its weight behind the BJP’s attempt to wrest power in the state.

  • Bengal eateries allowed to open for 3 hours with vaccinated employees: Mamata Banerjee

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: With the Covid-19 situation improving in West Bengal, the state government on Thursday decided to allow restaurants to open for three hours in the evening, provided people working there are vaccinated, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

    The eateries can be opened after the ongoing Covid- related restrictions come to an end on June 15, she said.

    The government is also thinking of allowing shopping malls to operate with 25 per cent workforce after June 15, she said at a meeting with representatives of various chambers of commerce at the state secretariat.

    “Covid-19 contagion is declining in West Bengal following the imposition of restrictions. Restaurants can be open for three hours in the evening from 5 pm to 8 pm provided the people working there are vaccinated,” Banerjee said.

    The state has plans to allow retail shops to keep open for one more hour till 4 pm after June 15, the chief minister said.

    At the moment, marketplaces are allowed to do business from 7 am to 10 am while retail shops and outlets selling saree and jewellery can operate between noon and 3 pm.

    The CM said that her government was mulling the option of vaccinating domestic helps in the same way it has planned to inoculate hawkers, bus conductors, vendors and others who are considered as “super spreaders”.

    Altogether 1.4 crore of people in West Bengal have been inoculated so far, she said.

    At the meeting, Banerjee also urged representatives of the chambers to financially help the government in vaccinating the population of the state.

    “We have been vaccinating 60-70 thousand people every day. The government cannot single-handedly vaccinate everyone. I will urge you to come forward and help us to inoculate people,” the chief minister said.

    She also urged them to try to procure doses on their own to vaccinate workers of industries.

    “As trains are not operating now, you can inform workers at least 72 hours before. Discuss the matter with the health department and try to source vaccines from wherever possible because we are not getting enough vaccines,” Banerjee said.

    The CM, who also holds the health portfolio, said that the attention would be given to inoculate people working in rice, wheat and flour mills as well as those employed in the brick kiln sector.

    The central government has provided only 17 lakh vaccines while her government had sought three crore, she said.

    Banerjee also sought the help of the chambers in relief works in districts ravaged by Cyclone Yaas.

    On the opening of the tourism sector, she said that a thorough discussion with hotel and transport associations is required before any decision is made.

    “We have to see how we can assist them. We cannot take any chances,” the chief minister said.

  • Ex-Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay replies to Centre’s show-cause notice

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Former chief secretary of West Bengal Alapan Bandyopdhayay on Thursday replied to the Centre’s show-cause notice served to him under the Disaster Management Act to explain his absence from the cyclone review meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28, an official said.

    In his reply, Bandyopadhyay said that as per the directive of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he left the meeting for a review of Cyclone Yaas ravaged Digha, a popular sea resort town in Purba Medinipur district, according to the highly-placed official in the secretariat.

    The Union Home Ministry had on May 31 served a show-cause notice to Bandyopadhyay under a stringent provision of the Disaster Management Act that entails imprisonment up to two years, amid a tug-of-war between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government over him.

    Bandyopadhyay was set to retire as the chief secretary on May 31, but the state recently sought and received permission for extension of his tenure for three months as he played a crucial role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    He was, however, handed over a transfer directive by the Centre, shortly after a row broke out over the prime minister’s post-cyclone review meeting at Kalaikunda airbase, which the CM and state chief secretary did not attend.

    Banerjee, along with the chief secretary, met the prime minister for around 15 minutes and left after handing over a report on the devastation caused by the cyclone in the state.

    The bureaucrat, instead of reporting to Delhi, chose to retire and he was subsequently appointed as the CM’s chief adviser.

  • Gauhati HC seeks status report on refugees who fled to Assam after Bengal post-poll violence

    By Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has asked the Assam government as well as the Centre to file a detailed reply on the status of some 400 people from West Bengal who fled to Assam in the face of violence following the declaration of Assembly election results on May 2.

    After hearing two public interest litigations filed by individuals, Abhijit Sarma from Assam’s Dibrugarh and Ravi Chhedilal from Mumbai, the bench of Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak also sought the status of the condition of children, lodged in makeshift camps in Assam’s Dhubri, from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

    The matter will be heard again on July 14 after the court receives the replies within three weeks.

    When the people, including women, from West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district crossed over to Dhubri over a period of three days, the Assam administration had sheltered them in two makeshift camps.

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    On May 14, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had visited one of the two camps and met the inmates.

    “These people are so terrified that they told me they could be attacked because I met them. They are facing political vendetta for opposing the ruling party (Trinamool Congress),” he had said then.

    Meanwhile, Assam BJP chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass said the party would demand the imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal.

    “The BJP believes in democracy. If (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee fails to restore it in her state, we will not only demand the imposition of President’s Rule but will also launch an agitation in Assam,” Dass said.

  • Bengal post-poll violence: Nearly 600 academics call for SC-monitored SIT probe

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Alleging large scale post-poll violence in West Bengal had displaced many people, around 600 academicians on Tuesday issued a joint letter, demanding a Supreme Court-monitored special investigation team (SIT) probe, besides the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission, into the issue.

    “Today, a large section of the Bengali society is living in fear. Those who voted against the TMC are being victimised. Many of them are under attack from the TMC supported stormtroopers — their properties vandalised and livelihoods destroyed.

    There are reports that dozens of people, including women, have been killed in post-poll violence,” said the letter penned by the academicians, who also claimed that thousands of people have migrated to the adjoining states of Assam, Orissa and Jharkhand due to fear of getting killed or raped by hooligans supported by the ruling party in Bengal. 

    The letter signed by academicians, including former vice-chancellors of varsities, Prakash Singh, Govardhan Das and J S P Pande, comes in the wake of Governor Jagdeep Dhankar’s visit to the affected areas. Dhankar was allegedly shown black flags as he interacted with a few victims of violence. BJP leaders claimed the Ministry of Home Affairs would soon deliberate on a report submitted by a team that did a spot assessment.

    The letter comes close on the heels of the attack launched by the BJP leaders on Mamata for skipping a review meeting with the PM last week.

    Former chief secretary’s response soughtKolkata: A notice served on West Bengal former chief secretary Alapan Bandhopadhyay hours before his retirement had sought his response on why action should not be taken against him under the Disaster Management Act for skipping a post-cyclone review meeting with the Prime Minister on May 28. Bandopadhyay was appointed as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s chief advisor soon after his retirement. The Ministry of Home Affairs directed Bandhopadhyay to ‘’explain in writing’’ in three days as to ‘’why action should not be taken against him’’ under Section 51 of the DM Act. The section pertains to punishment for obstruction for refusal to comply with a direction given by the Centre.

  • Over 600 academicians appeal to SC to set up SIT to probe post-poll violence in West Bengal

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A group of over 600 professors and vice chancellors on Tuesday appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the post-poll violence in West Bengal and set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe such incidents.

    In a statement, they claimed that a large section of the Bengali society is living under fear and alleged that those who “voted against the TMC in the recently held assembly elections are being victimised.”

    Thousands of people have migrated to the adjoining states of Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand due to fear of getting killed or attacked by “hooligans supported by the ruling party of Bengal,” they claimed.

    “We appeal for inquiry by independent authorities like National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and also appeal to the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the matter and set up SIT to investigate the incidents,” the group said.

    Stating that such acts of violence and politics of terror undermine the Constitution and destroy the basic building blocks of democracy, they said it should not be tolerated.

    The BJP has blamed the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress for the violence, while the TMC has accused the saffron party of politicising incidents of violence in which, it has said, its workers have also lost lives.

    The state government has also refuted the allegations of large-scale violence.

  • Out to catch crabs, woman dragged away by tiger in Sunderbans

    By PTI
    GOSABA: A 40-year-old woman was dragged away by a tiger into the forest in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on Tuesday when she was out with her husband to catch crabs, officials said.

    Bhagabati Mondal, a resident of Chargheri in Gosaba in the Sunderbans, went to catch crabs at nearby Kalichak forest early morning, they said.

    She was with her husband Atin Mondal and neighbor Sabita Mondal.

    Around 7.30 am, a tiger jumped on Bhagabati and took her away to the forest, officials said.

    The other two couldn’t save her and came back to the village, they said.

    Forest officials along with villagers were trying to recover her body.

    She is survived by her husband and two daughters.

  • Home Ministry notice to Alapan Bandyopadhyay under Disaster Management Act

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The row between the Centre and the West Bengal government intensified after the Union Home Ministry served a show-cause notice to the state’s former chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay under a stringent provision of the Disaster Management Act that entails imprisonment up to two years.

    A home ministry official said that hours before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced his retirement on Monday, Bandyopadhyay was served the notice for refusing to comply with lawful direction of the central government in violation of Section 51-B of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

    The officer has been asked to reply within three days to the notice, the official said.

    It was stated in the notice that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his entourage after reaching the Kalaikunda air force station waited for 15 minutes for the officers of the state government to arrive.

    In view of the absence, the chief secretary was called by an official as to whether they wanted to participate in the review meeting or not.

    Thereafter the chief secretary arrived along with the chief minister inside the room and left immediately.

    “In view of this act of abstaining himself from the review meeting taken by the Prime Minister, who is also the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, the chief secretary has acted in a manner tantamount to refusing to comply with lawful direction of the central government and thus violative of Section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act 2005,” it said.

    Bandyopadhyay, a 1987-batch IAS officer who was due to retire on May 31, was given an extension of three months and days later asked to report at the Centre.

    However, Banerjee announced his retirement on Monday and appointed him as the chief advisor to the state government.

    According to Section 51 (b), whosoever refuses to comply with any direction given by or on behalf of the central government or the state government or the National Executive Committee or the State Executive Committee or the District Authority under this Act, shall on conviction be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine, or with both.

    “And if such obstruction or refusal to comply with directions results in loss of lives or imminent danger thereof, shall on conviction be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years…,” the Act says.

    The Union Home Secretary is the chairman of the national executive committee under the DM Act which is currently in force due to the COVID pandemic.

    The COVID-19 lockdown measures have been implemented under the Disaster Management Act.

    The retired IAS officer has been asked to explain in writing to the home ministry within three days why action should be taken against him under the provisions of the Act.

    Bandyopadhyay is also facing heat from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), cadre controlling ministry for IAS officers, which had asked him twice to appear for his further duty to the central government in Delhi by Monday and again on Tuesday.

    However, he did not come to the capital and chose to retire, instead of accepting a three-month extension sanctioned to him by the state and central government.

    Chief Minister Banerjee had alleged that the officer was targeted by the central government due to a “political vendetta”.

    Reacting sharply to the notice, the ruling Trinamool Congress claimed that the Centre was wreaking vengeance on the West Bengal government and said the notice sent to Bandyopadhyay was an “illegal” move.

    TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy contended that the notice, invoking section 51 (b) of the Disaster Management Act, was “void”, and said that the question of violation of any provision does not arise.

    “Show Cause Notice served upon former Chief Secretary of Bengal is void ab initio in as much as no direction was issued to him under Sec 51(a) or(b) of the Disaster Management Act.

    As such the question of violation thereof does not arise. Stop such blatant acts of vengeance,” he tweeted.

    Opposition leader in the West Bengal assembly, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, however, sought the strictest action against Bandopadhyay for “indiscipline and violation of rules”.

    “I demand the strictest action be taken against the outgoing CS for indiscipline, violating service rules at a time of a natural disaster and a global pandemic, irregularities, and not helping others just because of sinister political games.

    TMC has failed the people of West Bengal,” the BJP leader tweeted.

    Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya, on his part, said the chief secretary is a victim of circumstances in the midst of the tussle between the Centre and the state government.

    Different interpretations can be made out of the episode that preceded Bandopadhyay’s recall order, his subsequent retirement, and everything that followed, he said.

    “Alapan Bandopadhyay is a victim of circumstances, this is not desirable.

    It may apparently seem that more importance should be given to the prime minister than the chief minister, but since the chief secretary is responsible for the affairs of the state, it does not seem that he has done anything wrong by toeing the chief minister’s line,” Bhattacharya said.