Delhi, 15 JAN 2024 

An  unmarried youth  from  a small village of  Birbhum district  of West  Bengal was searching for a  good  guide to start  his own  enterprise. With his limited computer knowledge, he managed to find  a  name – MGIRI and  immediately  he started contacting MGIRI for his entrepreneurial development. After getting ample knowledge from MGIRI through mobile, he went physically to MGIRI and met scientific team of Khadi & textile division and explained about his desire to start his own enterprise in his locality. When enquired about his background it was found that he is not even a graduate ,he belonged to a family which was working on dyeing since past 20 years. He wanted to grow more in the same field and start his own enterprise. He was informed about the basic requirements to start his own enterprise and how to grow stage by stage at MGIRI during his first visit. Agreeing to the guidance of MGIRI, he joined for skill development training on dyeing of Khadi with natural dyes from 09.06.2016 to 29.06.2016.

Soon after the completion of his training at MGIRI, he started preparations for starting his own enterprise at his own village i.e,  Benepukur para, Post – Suri, Dist. Birbhum, West Bengal. As he was planning to start his business at micro level, the funds required for the same were arranged by his family. In August, 2016 his own enterprise called “KARUANGAN” where in Batik, Natural dyeing, Tie & Dye, Shibori laharia, etc is being done on cotton and silk fabric material has been started.

He has employed 5 persons and started his traditional dyeing unit.

At present 100 mtrs of fabric per day can be either dyed or printed. The dyed or printed material is being marketed through sales outlet in local market. He also participates in all the exhibitions, local, district, state and national level across the country for marketing of his material and fetches a monthly income of around Rs. 50,000.

He is in constant touch with Khadi & Textile division of MGIRI and gets technical guidance in traditional dyeing & printing techniques, designs and marketing strategy. At present he has been successful in registering his unit  for exports.

Kolkata, 11 JAN 2024 

The National Youth Day, commemorating the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on January 12, is observed with due solemnity every year across the country with various activities organised by the Department of Youth Affairs, through their field units.

This year, National Youth Day is going to be celebrated by all the field organisations of the Department of Youth Affairs in districts pan-India in collaboration with multiple Government departments. MY Bharat volunteers throughout the country, with support from NSS units, NYKS and many educational institutions will coordinate their energies to carry out activities to VOLUNTEER FOR BHARAT. Youth Clubs will also bring their vibrant energy to the celebration, ensuring a truly inclusive atmosphere.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the National Youth Festival at Nasik, Maharashtra, tomorrow and will address the youths of the nation. Across 763 districts of the country, a district level mega programme will begin with a reverent floral tribute to Swami Vivekananda, followed by a live screening of the Prime Minister’s address to the nation.

The winners of the district-level declamation competitions on the theme “MYBharat- Viksit Bharat@2047- By the Youth, For the Youth”, will deliver the Youth Day address on life and message of Swami Vivekananda during the event.

Besides, Road Safety awareness events will be conducted at major cities and 750 districts headquarters of the country tomorrow. Volunteers are registered for these events through MY Bharat digital platform (https://mybharat.gov.in). Trained Road Safety volunteers will be flagged off by Central/State Ministers, local MPs or MLAs, marking a commitment to building a safer tomorrow through an intensive campaign. These volunteers will be deployed to assist in handling traffic in traffic choke points and also conduct road safety awareness activities. More than 88,000 volunteers will participate in the campaign. In many locations (detail attached), volunteers will also be visiting Anganwadi Centres for story telling sessions for children, conduct information dissemination about Government schemes.

A cultural programme showcasing the diverse cultural heritage of the district and talents of the youth with the participation of winners of Yuva Utsav as well as teams/individuals from the host institutions will also be hosted. The partner Ministries and their district level offices will set-up stalls with various exhibitions/ activities/ enrolment/ awareness drives tomorrow alongside the mega programme at the venue focusing on Traffic Awareness, Nutrition & Diet, Products of KVIC startups, PMEGP beneficiaries etc.

As a part of the event and a precursor to the main event tomorrow, a District-level Declamation Contest was organised at Dipalinagar, Balurghat, Dakshin Dinajpur by Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK), Dakshin Dinajpur unit today, besides, observation of National Road Safety 2024 programme along with awareness lectures, discussions on road safety norms at Balarampore, Berhampore, Murshidabad. This apart, Vikshit Bharat@2047 programme with due salutation to Swami Vivekananda was organised at Ramakrishna mission, Sargachi, Murshidabad. National Road Safety 2024 programme was also organised at Uttar Dinajpur in association with Shree Agrasen Mahavidyalaya.

Similar programmes are going to be organised at Bankura, Barasat, Baruipur, Birbhum, Burdwan, Coochbehar, Darjeeling, Diamond Harbour, Durgapur, Hooghly, Howrah,  Jalpaiguri, Kolkata (North & South), Midnapore, Malda, Nadia, Purulia, Raghunathpur, Tamluk, Alipurduar, Jhargram and Kalimpong in West Bengal on the occasion of celebrating the National Youth Day as well as paying glowing tributes to Swami Vivekananda.

National Youth Day 2024 this year hence promises to be more than just a celebration; it’s going to be  a platform for their ideas to flourish and a springboard for them to propel our nation towards a brighter, better, Viksit Bharat@2047.

DELHI : 04 AUG 2021

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has spoken to West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee on the flood situation caused by water discharge from dams in parts of the state. The Prime Minister also assured all possible support from the Centre to help mitigate the situation.

A PMO tweet said, “PM @narendramodi spoke to WB CM @MamataOfficial on the flood situation caused by water discharge from dams in parts of the state. PM assured all possible support from the Centre to help mitigate the situation.

PM Modi prays for the safety and wellbeing of those in affected areas.”

***

Most wanted drug smuggler and gangster, Jaipal Singh Bhullar s/o Bhupinder Singh r/o Ferozepur and Jaspreet Singh @ Jassi s/o Ravinder Singh r/o Kharar, SAS Nagar, who had rewards of 10 Lakh and 5 Lakh rupees on their head have been neutralized by the STF West Bengal Police on Wednesday afternoon, after they fired on the STF Police party, when they raided their apartment.

Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Dinkar Gupta, while addressing press conference, said that both the gangsters-turned- drug smugglers were wanted in the killing of two ASIs Bhagwan Singh and Dalwinderjit Singh of Jagraon Police at grain market, Jagraon on May 15, 2021 evening.

Notably, Jaipal had earlier snatched a 9mm Pistol from an ASI Sukhdev Singh of Khanna Police on the evening of May 10, 2021, when he was deployed at a naka on GT road near Doraha. In this connection, Punjab Police had earlier arrested Darshan Singh and Baljinder Singh @ Babbi from Gwalior on May 28, 2021.

The DGP said that Punjab Police launched a massive operation code named OP-Jack manhunt and for nabbing the absconding drug smugglers, Jaipal Bhullar and Jaspreet Singh and many police teams were dispatched to various states to nab these gangsters with the help of other state police forces.

He said that the Punjab Police arrested today Bharat Kumar r/o Sahnewal, Ludhiana from near Shambhu Border in Rajpura area and recovered one .30 bore Pistol, along with a Honda Accord vehicle, bearing registration number WB02R4500 by the team. Bharat, a close accomplice of Jaipal Bhullar, who was providing logistic support to Jaipal in Gwalior area of MP after Jaipal and Jassi had fled from Punjab.

DGP Dinkar Gupta said that Bharat revealed that both Jaipal and Jassi were holed up in a rented apartment in Kolkata. “Punjab Police immediately dispatched a special team for Kolkata by flight. In the meanwhile,  we also coordinated with Kolkata Police to share pinpointed inputs regarding their current hideout for the arrest of these two most wanted drug smugglers,” he said.

The DGP said that a senior police officer from Kolkata police informed later in the afternoon that both the criminals had been killed in retaliatory firing by STF Kolkata in which one of their Police inspectors had also sustained bullet injuries.

“I am grateful to West Bengal Police, especially the ADGP & STF Chief of West Bengal, Mr. Vineet Goyal, IPS, who acted immediately on inputs provided by the Punjab Police and organised a raid at the Kolkata apartment where Jaipal was holed up alongwith his associate, Jassi,” said DGP Dinkar Gupta.

According to the information, Jaipal was absconding since 2014 and during all these years, he had committed many heinous crimes and was wanted in more than 25 sensational criminal cases. He was presently involved in smuggling of drugs from across the border in close collaboration with major drug smugglers based in Pakistan.

When Shera Khuban was shot dead in a police encounter in 2012, Jaipal suspected that Rocky had leaked information about Shera Khuban to the police. Therefore, in 2016, Jaipal murdered Jaswinder Singh @ Rocky near Solan. Jaipal took the responsibility of Rocky murder on FB and declared it as the revenge of Shera Khuban encounter. In 2017, Jaipal looted Rs 1.3 cr from a cash van on Chandigarh–Patiala Highway near Chitkara University and Rs 35 lakhs from an ATM loading van in Ropar. In 2020, Jaipal carried out a dacoity in which he looted about 33 kg gold from Ludhiana. On 15.05.2021, Jaipal and his associates had shot dead two Punjab Police ASIs in Jagraon.

While, Japreet Singh @ Jassi, s/o Ravinder Singh, r/o Kharar was involved in atleast 4 criminal cases, including the killing of two ASIs at Jagraon. He was a close accomplice of Jaipal, alongwith Darshan Singh and Baljinder Singh @ Babbi from Gwalior on 28th May, 2021.

The neutralization of Jaipal and his close associate in Kolkata on Wednesday, and the arrest of 2 of his associates from Gwalior on May 28, 2021 is a big blow to the heroin drug smuggling network, which is operating from across the border.

DGP said that today’s operation was the culmination of:

– Painstaking follow-up work by dedicated team of officers of Internal Security (IS)  Wing and OCCU

– Close coordination between different police forces and the central agencies

 CHANDIGARH /Kolkata, 14 May

There is an atmosphere of fear and panic among Scheduled Castes of West Bengal as Police are with the miscreants and The district administration is inactive, said Shri Vijay Sampla, Chairman, Scheduled Castes Commission, who was speaking to reporters after a two-day visit to Bengal.

“The horrific experience we heard from the elders of 1947 was the same experience I had during my spot visit in the village of Milkipara where 12 shops in a row were vandalized and looted,” Sampla said.

Police in West Bengal are with the rioters and that is why helpless Dalit families have left their homes in Nabgram village in Burdwan district and Nabasan village in District South 24 Pargana. The miscreants are roaming around in the public domain.

Not only in the villages, but also in the city of Bardhaman houses have been attacked and set on fire, broken, looted. The residents have evacuated their residences due to fear, and the West Bengal police is doing nothing.

Sampla further added that the police are not taking action as per the provisions of the Scheduled Caste Atrocities Prevention Act, as it requires first filing an FIR based on the allegation, then arresting the accused directly and then starting the investigation.

Not only that, the administrative authorities are not taking action as per the provisions of the Scheduled Castes atrocity Prevention Act, because the affected Dalit families have not received compensation.

The list of victims has not been prepared by the district administration, their losses could not be estimated, so far no compensation has been given to them.

As long as they are being rehabilitated, the administration will have to provide them with rations for their 3 meals a day and shelter for the homeless, which the administration has not been able to provide so far.

Sampla has asked the West Bengal government to immediately dismiss the police officers who have not taken any action as per the provisions of the Scheduled Caste Atrocities Prevention Act and also take legal action against them.

Kolkatta , May 13

Broken roofs, scattered house hold items, locked houses of the complainant and his extended family, spoke of atrocities committed on Schedule Caste families in the village Nabagram, District East Bardhaman in West bengal, said Chairman National Commission for Schedule Castes Vijay Sampla.

Taking strong notice of the score of complaints regarding atrocities being committed on the Dalits in West Bengal, Sampla is on a two day visit to West Bengal.

As per press statement released by the commission, today Sampla reached the house of complainant Ashish Khetrapal in village Nabagram and found it locked.

Local District and police officers were clueless about the whereabouts of the complainant.

But when somebody secretly informed that injured are in life Care Nursing Home, Sampla visited hospital and met the injured.They were in tears while narrating the whole horiffic incident in which his wife was killed and his brother were grievously injured.

In village Milikpara of Dist East Bardhaman, on third of May, twelve shops belonging to Schedule Castes were singled out, vandalized and looted. Complainants especially SC females openly spoke against the complete inaction of local Bengal Police.

Sampla on the spot asked the District Commissioner to compensate and rehabilitate the victims as per SC atrocity act. He asked SSP to immediately apprehend all the accused and add sections in FIR as per SC act.

Later at the rest house more than 25 complainants were personally heard by the Chairman Vijay Sampla in the presence of DC and SSP. Sampla immediately ordered stern actions as per SC ACT.

On 14 May he will be visiting village Sarisa under Dist South 24 Parganas, where he will listen to the first-hand account of victims.

West Bengal, November 6

The Income Tax Department has carried out searches on November 5th, 2020 in the case of one prominent coal trader of West Bengal having premises in Raniganj, Asansol, Purulia and Kolkata. The searches were based on intelligence gathered, which indicated that large scale unaccounted cash was being generated and used for various purposes.

The searches have led to seizure of documents indicating that companies of the assessee group held bogus investments in unquoted equity shares of paper concerns to the magnitude of around Rs. 150 crore, out of which investments of around Rs. 145 crore have been sold. These sale transactions were found to be sham transactions and have been admitted by the assessee in the statement recorded during the search.

The searches have also led to seizure of a substantial number of incriminating documents showing cash generation in coal and sand trading, sponge iron sales etc. Documents have also been seized indicating huge unaccounted expenses for facilitation of coal transport and various trading activities.

The searches have led to seizure of unaccounted cash and bullion of around Rs.  7.3 crore. Further investigations are in process.

West Bengal, October 30

A mid-term review meeting on planning and implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in West Bengal was held, wherein the State officials presented the progress of the programme in the State before the National Jal Jeevan Mission team. State Government of West Bengal has decided to achieve the goal of providing tap water connections to all 1.63 Crore rural households by 2024. West Bengal has 22 Districts, 341 Blocks, 41,357 Villages and 1.07 lakh Habitations. The State has provided 2.20 lakh tap water connections against the target of 55.58 lakh so far in 2020-21.

Under Jal Jeevan Mission, funds are released by Government of India to States/ UTs based on the output in terms of tap water connections provided and the utilization of available central and matching state share. In 2020-21, fund allocation to West Bengal is Rs 1,610.76 Crore. Additional funds can be provided based on progress of implementation in form of performance incentive under the mission. In addition, West Bengal would receive Rs 4,412 Crore as 15^th Finance Commission Grants to PRIs, 50% of which will mandatorily be spent on water and sanitation. In the review meeting, the Ministry requested the State to speed up the implementation to achieve the target in a time-bound manner by utilizing the available funds to avail the allocated funds so as to avoid losing the central grants. Union Government is committed to provide full assistance to the State Government in their efforts to achieve this goal of universal coverage of water supply to every household.

It was urged that due emphasis on strengthening of existing drinking water sources for long-term sustainability of drinking water supply systems should be provided. The State to also well utilize their existing resources through convergence of various programmes like MGNREGS, JJM, SBM (G), 15^th FC Grants to PRIs, District Mineral Development Fund, CAMPA, CSR Fund, Local Area Development Fund, etc. at village level and a Village Action Plan (VAP) for 5 years needs to be prepared by dovetailing all these resources. The State also needs launch an effective IEC campaign for community mobilisation. State was urged that village communities to be empowered for effective planning and implementation of the mission; thus, enabling these villages as ‘Har Ghar Jal Gaon’.

It was observed in the review meeting that in 22,319 out of 41,357 villages of the State have Public Water Supply (PWS), which has the potential to provide about 1 Crore tap water connections to remaining households through retrofitting. West Bengal is affected by water contamination, which poses a serious health risk to the inhabitants. The 10 districts of the State are also gripped by another serious health concern that is Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (JE-AES), affecting 42.96 lakh households, out of which only 2.34 lakh households (5.4%) have been provided with tap connections. The State has 1,566 Arsenic and Fluoride affected habitations to be covered with piped water supply by December, 2020.

State was requested to ensure all the anganwadi centres, ashramshalas and schools are provided piped water supply as part of the special 100-day campaign launched on 2 October, 2020, so that potable water is available in these institutions for drinking, hand washing, for use in toilets and for cooking of mid-day meals. This campaign offers a golden opportunity to provide safe water in these public institutions, so that children have access to safe water, which will improve their health and well-being for holistic development.

New Delhi, October 29

Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary reviewed the status of COVID in the States/UT of West Bengal, Kerala and Delhi and their public health response measures in a meeting held through Video Conferencing today, in the presence of Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, and Dr Balram Bhargava, DG, ICMR. Health Secretaries from the States/UT, NHM MD, DGHS and other senior health officials participated virtually. Concerns regarding rising cases in these States/UT were highlighted in the meeting.

Delhi has 29,378 active cases as of today with a Fatality Rate of 1.76% and a positivity rate of 7.9%. 5,673 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. There has been nearly 46% increase in the new cases over the past four weeks, and the positivity rate over the past four weeks has escalated by nearly 9%. The rising cases were attributed by the Delhi team to social gatherings during the festivities, the deteriorating air quality, increasing incidences of respiratory disorders, and clusters of positive cases at work places. The fatigue among frontline workers was also discussed.

The UT was advised to aggressively ramp up testing, increase RT-PCR tests, focus on contact tracing and effectively enforce isolation of the traced contacts within the first 72 hours. It was advised to focus on containment zones, and strict perimeter control to be implemented as per MHA guidelines. The health authorities were advised to give additional thrust to IEC practices and proactively promote wearing of mask and other COVID appropriate behaviours.

West Bengal has 37,111 active cases as of today. The Case Fatality Rate of the State stands at 1.84% and the positivity rate is 8.3%. The State has registered 3,924 new cases in the last 24 hours. The average daily cases have recorded 23% increase over last four weeks. There is 1% increase in the positivity rate over the last four weeks. Darjeeling, Nadia, Medinipur West, Jalpaiguri, Hooghly are the top districts showing increasing trend in cases. Whereas, Murshidabad, Nadia, Coochbehar, Kolkata and Darjeeling have registered increase in the weekly deaths last week. The tests per million population (TPM) stand at 41,261 whereas the national TPM is 77,220.

The State was advised to strictly follow the ‘test-track-treat’ strategy. West Bengal health authorities were advised not to compromise on testing and keep the level of daily tests at a higher level with greater proportion of RT-PCR tests. It was advised to ensure proper Standard of Care and early identification as well as early hospitalisation of cases. It was also suggested to regularly monitor the symptom development and hospitalization trend amongst the home isolated patients. The State was advised to focus on rapid contact tracing, and quick isolation of the traced contacts to be effectively enforced.

The cases in Kerala are showing a rising trend. Total active cases are 93,369 as on date. The average daily cases have recorded 11% increase over the last four weeks. The number of new cases in last 14 days is 98,778. In the last 24 hours, Kerala has registered the maximum number of new cases with  8,790 cases. Thrissur, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram are the top districts showing increasing trend in COVID cases. The State has been demonstrated better results in terms of COVID fatality. The fatality rate of State stands at 0.34%, although there has been increase in the weekly deaths in Thrissur (133%), Kollam (75%), Alappuzha (31%), Ernakulam (30%), and Kannur (15%).

Tests per million of the population are 66,755 and the positivity rate is at a significantly high level of 16.5%. The positivity rate has registered 41% increase over the last four weeks.

It was mentioned that the increase in the new cases due to festivities is a grave concern. The State has been suggested to ramp up IEC practices and promote mask wearing with more rigour.  While Kerala has been monitoring contact tracing activities across borders with neighbouring districts and States, certain districts with very high positivity rates, like Malappuram, need to enforce better management.

The States/UTs were also advised to ensure enforcement of precautionary measures like maintaining social distancing, sanitization, wearing of masks, etc.

West Bengal, October 23

According to the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre/Cyclone Warning Centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD):

The Depression over northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast moved north-northeastwards with a speed of 24 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 23^rd October, 2020 near latitude 21.3°N and longitude 88.4°E over Northwest Bay of Bengal off West Bengal – Bangladesh coasts, about 50 km southeast of Sagar Islands (West Bengal) and 200 km west-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh).

It is very likely to move north-northeastwards and cross West Bengal & adjoining Bangladesh coasts between Sagar Islands (West Bengal) & Khepupara (Bangladesh) over Sundarbans around noon of today, the 23^rd October.

Warnings:

(i) Rainfall warning (for north-eastern States)

• 23^rd October 2020: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls (115.6-204.4 mm/day) at a few places and extremely heavy falls (>200 mm / Day) at isolated places very likely over Tripura, heavy to very heavy falls at a few places  Nagaland, Manipur,  Mizoram, south Assam & Meghalaya. Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy rainfall at isolated places likely over remaining districts of Assam.
• 24^th October 2020: Light to moderate rainfall at many places with Isolated heavy falls likely over Assam , Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura

(ii) Wind warning

• Squally winds speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph would occur over North Bay of Bengal during next 24 hours.
• Squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 Kmph also very likely off north Odisha coast during next 12 hours and 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph along & off West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts during next 24 hours.

 (iii) Sea condition

• Sea condition will be rough to very rough over North Bay of Bengal and adjoining Central Bay of Bengal during next 24 hours.
• Sea condition will be rough to very rough along & off north Odisha-West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts during next 24 hours.

 (iv)  Fishermen Warning

Fishermen are advised not to venture into North Bay of Bengal and along & off West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts during next 24 hours and off Odisha coast during next 12 hours.

(v) Impact expected over south Assam, east Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura on 23^rd October, 2020:

• Localized Flooding of roads, water logging in low lying areas and closure of underpasses mainly in urban areas of the above region.
• Possibility of Landslides in hilly areas of Northeastern states.

• Occasional reduction in visibility due to heavy rainfall.
• Disruption of traffic in cities.
• Minor damage to kutcha roads.
• Possibilities of damage to vulnerable structure.
• Damage to horticulture and standing crops in some areas due to inundation and squally winds.
• It may lead to riverine flooding in some river catchments (for riverine flooding. Kindly visit website of Central Water Commission (http://www.cwc.gov.in/))

-For specific district wise impact kindly visit IMD’s sate level meteorological center websites (https://mausam.imd.gov.in/imd_latest/contents/departmentalweb.php) and national website (https://mausam.imd.gov.in/).

(vi) Action Suggested:

• Attempt to protect Wildlife, Flora, Fauna, Sanctuaries in Sundarbans.
• Check for traffic congestion on your route before leaving for your destination.
• Follow any traffic advisories that are issued in this regard.
• Avoid going to areas that face water logging problem and squally winds.
• Avoid staying in vulnerable structure