Kolkata, 19 May : There will be 36 Trinamool Congress ministers, while seven are likely to be from the Congress in the new West Bengal government to be headed by Mamata Banerjee.A list of 36 names of MLAs from the Trinamool Congress, barring Banerjee, has been received by the chief secretary's office from the Raj Bhavan, secretariat sources said. "The Congress list of ministers has not yet been received," the sources said.
The Congress was likely to have seven ministers, they said.
The Trinamool Congress list of ministers include Dr Amit Mitra, Partha Chatterjee, Manish Gupta, Subrata Mukherjee, Abdul Karim Chowdhury, Sadhan Pandey, Dr Upen Biswas, Sabitri Mitra, Bratya Basu, Madan Mitra and Noore Alam Chowdhury.
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Buddha, Biman, LF leaders to attend Mamata's swearing-in
PTI, Kolkata, 19 May : Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose, who have been invited to the swearing-in of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, will attend the ceremony at Raj Bhavan tomorrow.
Trinamool Congress Legislature Party deputy leader Partha Chatterjee personally went to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's Palm Avenue residence to invite him and his wife Meera earlier in the day.
PTI, Kolkata, 19 May : Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose, who have been invited to the swearing-in of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, will attend the ceremony at Raj Bhavan tomorrow.
Trinamool Congress Legislature Party deputy leader Partha Chatterjee personally went to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's Palm Avenue residence to invite him and his wife Meera earlier in the day.
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2 Cong ministers to be sworn-in Friday in Mamata-led Govt
Kolkata, 19 May : The Congress late Thursday decided that two of its legislators would take oath as part of the Mamata Banerjee-led ministry in West Bengal Friday.
'It has been decided that two of the ministers will take oath. They are (Pradesh Congress president) Manas Bhuniya and newly-elected Congress legislature party leader Abu Hena,' state party spokesman Om Prakash Mishra told Bengal Newz over phone.
Kolkata, 19 May : The Congress late Thursday decided that two of its legislators would take oath as part of the Mamata Banerjee-led ministry in West Bengal Friday.
'It has been decided that two of the ministers will take oath. They are (Pradesh Congress president) Manas Bhuniya and newly-elected Congress legislature party leader Abu Hena,' state party spokesman Om Prakash Mishra told Bengal Newz over phone.
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Chittagong' ship breakers set for boom time in Bangladesh
Reuters, Chittagong, 19 May : Abul Hossen is preparing for the arrival of dozens of ships that promise to carry his family and hundreds, if not thousands, of other Bangladeshis out of a life of poverty.Instead of sailing to another country, however, the 45-year-old father of four will help to torch, hammer and rip the fleet into pieces of money-making scrap metal, after a court ordered Bangladesh to free up its ship breaking industry.
Maritime recycling yards in the Indian subcontinent and China could see a boom that could run until 2013 as shipowners rush to get rid of ageing vessels, driven by an oversupplied freight market, low shipping rates and high steel prices.
“The restart of ship breaking has given me a new life,” Hossen told Reuters on an oil-besmirched beach in Chittagong, home to one of the world’s biggest ship recycling yards. “Had it not restarted I would have been compelled to stop sending my children to school.”
Hossen and other ship breakers earned a monthly average of 10,000 taka ($137), an income stream that vanished for the last year, forcing them to turn to other jobs such as unloading trucks and fixing cars.... READ FULL STORY
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Anna Hazare to address an anti-corruption rally tomorrow
Guwahati, 19 May : Gandhian leader and social crusader Anna Hazare will be visiting Guwahati tomorrow to address an anti-corruption rally here.
Several other prominent personalities, including Arvind Kejriwal, Swami Agnivesh and Kiran Bedi, are expected to participate in the rally. The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), which has organised the rally, said Hazare and other national-level leaders arrived here this evening. The rally has been organised at an educational institute’s field in Chandmari area of the city.
Guwahati, 19 May : Gandhian leader and social crusader Anna Hazare will be visiting Guwahati tomorrow to address an anti-corruption rally here.
Several other prominent personalities, including Arvind Kejriwal, Swami Agnivesh and Kiran Bedi, are expected to participate in the rally. The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), which has organised the rally, said Hazare and other national-level leaders arrived here this evening. The rally has been organised at an educational institute’s field in Chandmari area of the city.
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CPI(M) dubs violence against Left workers as 'class war'
PTI, New Delhi, 19 May : The CPI(M) today termed the post-poll violence against workers of the Left parties in West Bengal as "class war" and said the "fascist" attacks were aimed at reversing land reform measures and the hard-earned rights enjoyed so far by the poor."Clearly, this is a class war that is aimed at weakening the CPI(M) and the Left Front, thus weaken the strength of the exploited classes who had immensely gained from the policies of land reforms and panchayati raj in Bengal over the last three decades and more," Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.
He alleged that the electoral defeat of the Left was being used by "the ruling classes to mount a class offensive to undo the gains made by the people during the Left Front rule. This is precisely what is being attempted through these assaults".
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TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee resigns as Railway Minister
Kolkata, 19 May : Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, set to take over as West Bengal Chief Minister tomorrow, resigned as Railway Minister today.
Railway sources said Mamata Banerjee sent her resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Mamata took over as Railway Minister of UPA-II government in May, 2009. She had also held the ministry for less than two years in the NDA government.... READ FULL STORY @ www.westbengalelections2011.com
Kolkata, 19 May : Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, set to take over as West Bengal Chief Minister tomorrow, resigned as Railway Minister today.
Railway sources said Mamata Banerjee sent her resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Mamata took over as Railway Minister of UPA-II government in May, 2009. She had also held the ministry for less than two years in the NDA government.... READ FULL STORY @ www.westbengalelections2011.com
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Fourteen Bru families return to Mizoram from Tripura camps
PTI, Aizawl, 19 May : Fourteen Bru families returned to Mizoram from Tripura's relief camps today in the ongoing repatriation of the refugees being conducted by the state government, a senior police official said today.
While 27 families were scheduled to be repatriated today as per the road map prepared by the Union Home Ministry and the state government, only 14 families returned and would be resettled in different villages of Mamit district, in Mizoram, SP of Mamit, H Sangawia said.
PTI, Aizawl, 19 May : Fourteen Bru families returned to Mizoram from Tripura's relief camps today in the ongoing repatriation of the refugees being conducted by the state government, a senior police official said today.
While 27 families were scheduled to be repatriated today as per the road map prepared by the Union Home Ministry and the state government, only 14 families returned and would be resettled in different villages of Mamit district, in Mizoram, SP of Mamit, H Sangawia said.
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Kolkata zoo to get KangaroosKolkata, 19 May : Two pairs of kangaroos, the Australian national animal, will be housed soon in Alipore Zoological Garden here, Zoo director said. The four Kangaroos will be brought from a Czech Republic zoo under an inter-zoo exchange programme, he said.
"We were informed that some zoos in Europe have successfully carried out kangaroo breeding programme and have spares for exchange so we approached them. Later we got the clearance from the national zoo authority and also from the state government and we now are in the process of arranging the transportation of the Kangaroos," said Raju Das, director of Alipore Zoological Garden.
The Kangaroos will be arriving here possibly by May-end, he said. A separate enclosure has already been made for them in the zoo.
Some thirty years back Kangaroos were housed in Alipore zoo, but they could not survive for long.
This time we are hopeful that the special breed of kangaroos would be able to adapt to the environment. The Kangaroos would be kept under special observation for 10 days before they are relocated in the zoo, said Das.
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Total 31 Myanmarese prisoners set free from Kolkata's jail
Kolkata, 19 May : Indian government today released 31 of 34 Myanmarese pro-democracy activists who spent more than 13 years in Presidency jail.
'The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) granted them refugee status which they wanted and they were released,' Superintendent of Presidency Correctional Home Biplab Das said. The Indian Navy had on 13 February, 1998, intercepted a steamer in the Indian maritime zone and following a heavy exchange of fire arrested 34 people who turned out to be members of the National United Party of Arakan and Karen National Union which had been fighting the Burmese junta for decades. Six persons died in the encounter.
Kolkata, 19 May : Indian government today released 31 of 34 Myanmarese pro-democracy activists who spent more than 13 years in Presidency jail.
'The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) granted them refugee status which they wanted and they were released,' Superintendent of Presidency Correctional Home Biplab Das said. The Indian Navy had on 13 February, 1998, intercepted a steamer in the Indian maritime zone and following a heavy exchange of fire arrested 34 people who turned out to be members of the National United Party of Arakan and Karen National Union which had been fighting the Burmese junta for decades. Six persons died in the encounter.
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Fake currencies of Rs 7 L Recovered at Indo-Bangla border
Malda, 19 May : The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel recovered fake currencies of Rs 7 lakh in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations from Chori Anantapur village under Kaliachak PS in Malda district yesterday. However, no one has been arrested yet. The BSF handed over the counterfeited currencies to the district police administration.
The district superintendent of police Bhuban Mandal told Bengal Newz, “a man threw a heavy bag from the other side of Indo-Bangladesh border . When another person stooped to pick up the bag the BSF personnel of 151 battalion noticed and chased the person who immediately ran away leaving the bag behind.”
Malda, 19 May : The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel recovered fake currencies of Rs 7 lakh in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations from Chori Anantapur village under Kaliachak PS in Malda district yesterday. However, no one has been arrested yet. The BSF handed over the counterfeited currencies to the district police administration.
The district superintendent of police Bhuban Mandal told Bengal Newz, “a man threw a heavy bag from the other side of Indo-Bangladesh border . When another person stooped to pick up the bag the BSF personnel of 151 battalion noticed and chased the person who immediately ran away leaving the bag behind.”
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Gautam Ghosh plans documentary on Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata, 19 May : Mamata Banerjee's journey from being a firebrand politician leading up to the chief minister's chair will be captured on celluloid by filmmaker Goutam Ghose.Apart from chronicling the extraordinary tale of a simple middle class girl with a burning political ambition who unseated the 34-year-old Left Front government almost singlehandedly, the documentary would stress on the humane side of her personality, Gautam Ghose said.
"I will try to delve into the humane self of Mamata, the way she interacts with the masses, the way she conducts herself in the elite business circles and the way she pursues her interets at home like painting or Rabindrasangeet," Gautam told PTI here today.
"Remember how she was derided once by the urban class who made fun of her English accent, her sartorial tastes and earthy image at cocktail circuits. I was very shocked at this and tried to protest.
Gautam had also made a documentary on late CPI(M) patriarch and former chief minister Jyoti Basu.
Mamata Banerjee will be sworn in Friday as West Bengal's first woman chief minister. The Left Front's 34-year reign in the state ended in the April-May assembly elections after Trinamool Congress and Congress alliance won a thumping victory by winning 227 of the 294 seats.
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RBI to launch schemes for raising credit flow to North East
IANS, Agartala, 19 May : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to introduce bankable schemes and open financial literacy and credit counselling centres in the northeast to improve the credit flows to the region, its governor D. Subbarao said Thursday."The RBI has intensified its efforts to enhance credit flow to the industry starved northeastern states," Subbarao told reporters after the first ever central board meeting of the apex bank here.
"For faster development of the region, it was equally important to raise its credit absorptive capacity. For this purpose, the RBI has been encouraging banks to introduce bankable and viable schemes, open financial literacy and credit counseling centres in northeast."
Subbarao, accompanied by four RBI deputy governors and top officials came to Agartala Wednesday and inaugurated a RBIs first sub-office in Tripura capital and addressed at a seminar on financial inclusion.
"To educate the people about the banking services and banking importance, 'financial literacy day' would be observed in one village in each blocks of northeast India," he said. "The RBI had announced a subvention scheme for opening new bank branches in the northeast. More and more credit to the agricultural and allied sectors must be increased in the region.
According to the RBI chief, the credit deposit ratio of the region is half of the national average which is 70. "The RBI has asked all the state governments to include finance in school curriculum to enhance fiscal literacy. It had developed material for this purpose which it would willingly share with the state governments," Subbarao said.
About the dubious activities of unauthorised and unincorporated bodies and financial companies, the RBI governor has asked the people not to make any deposit to these institutions. "People and media should be more vigilant about the unrecognised financial institutions." Subbarao said that RBI has decided to open its sub-offices in six more northeastern states - Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya - in a phased manner to improve the banking services to the region and to ensure banking access is made available to all people.
Currently, RBI has a regional office in Assams main city of Guwahati. န Photo : Reuters
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