Chief Minister appeals Amartya Sen and Sugata Bose to mentor Presidency University

June 04, 2011

Calcutta, June 4: Amartya Sen has been invited to head the panel of mentors for Presidency University and historian Sugata Bose will be its chairman, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced, heralding the hope of an era of excellence for the institution.

 

“Amartya Sen is being made the chief mentor. Sugata Bose will be chairman. I have already spoken to Sugata, who is in Harvard. He has agreed. They will do whatever has to be done — the syllabi and several other things have to be fixed,” Mamata Banerjee said before leaving Writers` Buildings around 9.30pm.

Chief Minister schemes to help teachers

June 04, 2011

Kolkata, June 4: After getting their salary on the first day of the month, there is now more good news for the teaching community in West Bengal. Soon, the teachers in government and government-aided schools will get their pension immediately after their retirement, Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee announced on Friday. 

 "The school teachers are now getting their salary on the first day of the month - instead of the 10th. We have also decided that they will get their pension immediately after their retirement. Nowadays, they get their pension years after their retirement. In many cases it reaches their family members after the death of the beneficiaries," said Ms. Banerjee at the state secretariat – Writers` Buildings. 

Team spirit the key, Chief Minister tells government employees

June 03, 2011

Mamata Banerjee didn’t begin her tenure as the Chief Minister with a sermon. Ms Banerjee started off by making an appeal to build a ‘team spirit’ among government employees. Never before did any Chief Minister made such an appeal to government employees — from senior bureaucrats to the dealing clerks. 

In the appeal written on her official letterhead, Mamata congratulated the employees and their families and appealed to them for their cooperation and hard work to build the new Bengal. 

Chief Minister widens Rs 2/ Kg rice scheme for tribals and non-tribals in Jangal Mahal

June 02, 2011

 Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today widened the ambit of an affordable rice scheme in the Maoist-affected Jungle Mahal.

Tribals earning less than Rs 42,000 a year will be eligible to buy rice at Rs 2 a kg. The annual income limit has been raised by Rs 18,000.

Non-tribals also have been given relief. A consumer in this category can buy the Rs 2 rice if the annual income is less than Rs 36,000. Earlier, non-tribals were required to have a below poverty line card to be eligible for the rice scheme.

The people of Jungle Mahal — which comprises parts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia — will now get their monthly quota of 35kg of rice at the subsidised rate from ration shops.

Chief Minister breaks ice in Hill impasse, meets Bimal Gurung

May 31, 2011

Kolkata, May 31: In her first meeting as Chief Minister with Bimal Gurung, Ms. Mamata Banerjee persuaded the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president to sit with officials on June 6 to discuss the pressing problems of the Hills. The thorny political issues were deferred to a tripartite meeting at a later date.

"We all love Darjeeling. It is very much a part of West Bengal and will continue to remain so," Mamata announced after an hour-long meeting with Gurung. The GJM President said, "We did not insist on anything. We are impressed with all the plans the Chief Minister has for the Hills."

Chief Minister sets up committee, highlights land-bank formation

May 30, 2011

Kolkata, May 30: Honouring the election pledge of Trinamool Congress to have a transparent land policy in West Bengal, the state government on Monday set up a committee which will submit suggestions on its formulation. 

The government would have a transparent land policy, a land map and bank, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters after setting up the committee. 

Chief Minister interacts with NRIs in USA, asks to send projects

May 29, 2011

Kolkata, May 29: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday asked all Bengali non-resident Indians (NRIs) keen on investing in Bengal to start sending their projects to an NRI cell that would soon be formed in the State Finance Department. The cell, she assured, would expeditiously process all their investment proposals and reply to them on a weekly basis.