Soumyadip Mullick, MP, 10 May 2024, Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday said that the state government should approach the Supreme Court over the incident involving allegations of sexual harassment against West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose.
Abhishek questioned the CCTV footage shown by Raj Bhavan on Thursday. He asked what is the purpose of showing outdoor footage of Raj Bhavan. He challenged the Governor to reveal the footage of the inside chamber and corridor of Raj Bhavan. Banerjee told the media that if such an allegation is levelled against him and if he has to disclose CCTV footage then he will reveal the entire footage and not just selected parts of it.
“The Governor should have disclosed footage of every area inside Raj Bhavan. What was instead done amounts to nothing short of a drama,” he remarked. He also added that by revealing such irrelevant footage the Governor has further insulted the woman. Abhishek said that Bose had insulted the chair of a Governor.
He alleged that Bose sexually harassed someone who is of his daughter’s age in the name of giving her a job. “We have seen many Governors. We have seen Jagdeep Dhankhar but we have never seen a Governor stoop so low,” he said.
When pointed out the constitutional protection that a Governor enjoys against criminal proceedings, Abhishek said: “The state government must approach the Supreme Court on this issue. It cannot happen that just because one is a Governor one can do anything. Law should be equal for all.”
Accusing the National Commission for Women (NCW) of being politically biased towards the BJP, Banerjee alleged that it has not even asked a single question so far over this incident. He said people of this state will give a befitting reply to the ones who are out to malign Bengal.
MP, 11 May 2024 4:24 PM West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday slammed Governor C V Ananda Bose over allegations of molestation against him, and said he must explain why he should not step down.
Addressing a poll rally here in support of TMC’s Hooghly candidate Rachana Banerjee, the CM also asserted she would not step inside the Raj Bhavan till Bose remains the governor.
“The governor says ‘didigiri’ (high-handedness) will not be tolerated…But, I say Mr Governor, your ‘dadagiri’ will not work anymore,” the TMC supremo said.
“Bose must explain why he should not resign after such allegations were levelled against him,” she said. A contractual woman employee of the Raj Bhavan had last week lodged a complaint with the Kolkata Police, alleging that she was molested by Bose in the governor’s house on April 24 and May 2.
Bose had screened multiple CCTV footage of the Raj Bhavan on May 9, in a bid to clear the air over allegations of molestation brought against him.
“The governor had released an edited video. I saw the entire footage and its contents are shocking. I have got another video… Your conduct is shameful,” the chief minister said. “I am not going to the Raj Bhavan till he is the governor… I prefer to meet him on the streets,” she asserted.
SOUMITRA NANDI, MP, 12 May 2024, Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to deploy a lesser number of Central Forces in the fourth phase of polls, scheduled on May 13, in comparison to the third phase. Eight Parliamentary constituencies – Berhampore, Ranaghat, Bardhaman- Durgapur, Bolpur, Krishnanagar, Bardhaman Purba, Asansol and Birbhum will go for polls on May 13.
According to data provided by the Commission, there will be 596 companies of Central Forces during the fourth phase. Out of these, 579 companies are designated for overseeing 15,507 booths, while the remaining 17 companies will be deployed to supervise strong rooms and maintain law and order in various districts.
During the third phase, the commission had deployed 406 companies of Central Forces. In the fourth phase, 3647 out of 15507 polling stations which accounts for nearly 21 per cent, have been labelled “sensitive”.
“The deployment of Central Forces is designed according to the sensitivity of the booths and the vulnerability of the constituency. So, it is not surprising that Central Forces will be less during the fourth phase.
However, there will be adequate security arrangements in the fourth phase as well,“ an EC official said. The commission will be deploying 130 companies in Birbhum and an additional 73 companies for the Berhampur constituency in Murshidabad.
Moreover, 152 companies have been assigned to Burdwan East, followed by 88 companies for the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate.
There will be 81 companies for Krishnanagar and 54 companies for the Ranaghat Parliamentary constituencies in Nadia. In addition to the presence of Central Forces in all the booths, there will be 68 Quick Response Team (QRT) evenly distributed in all the constituencies.
In Asansol-Durgapur there will be 16 QRT teams followed by 15 in Murshidabad, 13 each in Birbhum and Burdwan Purba, 6 in Krishnanagar and 5 in Ranaghat. The Central Forces will also be supported by a state force of nearly 30,009 personnel.
Srishti Lakhotia, MP, 12 May 2024, Kolkata: A Bangladeshi national was apprehended from Sealdah-Duronto Express on May 8 after she was unable to produce a passport or a valid Indian visa.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) at Sealdah registered a case against her under Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which deals with trafficking of persons. The woman identified as Runa Begum, aged around 30 years, arrived in India on May 7.
She claimed to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Sealdah who apprehended her, that she came to India on directions of a friend named Sonia, whom she met on a social media platform. She further claimed that Sonia had promised her a job in New Delhi.
She allegedly came to India through different means of transportation and was accompanied from Ranaghat to Sealdah by an unidentified person. She reached Sealdah via local train at around 2:30 pm and boarded the Express train from platform number 11.
According to the information revealed by her to the RPF personnel, the unidentified person dropped her and left the station. Begum was allegedly in a state of distress when the RPF personnel found her in one of the coaches of Duronto Express.
On further enquiry about her legal travel documents, Begum was unable to produce a passport on a valid Indian visa.
According to the information shared by Eastern Railway, during the search of her luggage, a smartphone along with some Bangladeshi currency was found. Begum and the seized items were handed over to GRP for further legal proceedings.
EOI, DARJEELING, MAY 10, 2024 : Hamro Party president, Ajoy Edwards after meeting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Rajesh Sharma in Delhi claimed AAP would support the demand for including the Hills areas under the sixth schedule.
On Friday the HP president said he had a fruitful meeting with the AAP leader, who is in-charge of the northeastern states, and as a reciprocal measure decided to extend support to the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
“The Gorkhas of Darjeeling have been demanding the status of 6th Schedule to be implemented. In the year 2007a bill was introduced in Parliament but due to various circumstances it could not be passed. To make our demand a reality Sharma has assured the AAP party’s support,” said Edwards.
Ahead of the second phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha election, Edwards had joined the INDIA bloc and supported and campaigned for the Congress candidate Munish Tamang.
The Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) for the implementation of the sixth schedule had been signed between the state, centre and the GNLF on December 6, 2005.However, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha party led by Bimal Gurung and other political parties opposed the sixth schedule and with help of the BJP got the bill that was placed in Parliament in 2007, to be put in the back burner.
This was followed by four years of agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state spearheaded by the GJM which ultimately resulted in the formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration in 2012. Apart from meeting Sharma, Edwards also submitted a letter addressed to Kejriwal expressing his support towards him and his “fight against injustice”.
Commending the “exemplary work” being done by the AAP CM in Delhi, Edwards said, “As the president of Hamro Party, a proud member of the INDIA Alliance, I have closely followed the remarkable progress you have achieved in various sectors, which has served as an inspiration to me and many others across the nation. In these challenging times, as an alliance partner of the INDIA Alliance, HP stands firmly in solidarity with you, advocating for justice and fairness.”
10 May, 2024, Kolkata/New Delhi : On a day the TMC accused NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma of “abusing her authority and being involved in a conspiracy” in Sandeshkhali, where women have claimed they were deceived by the BJP into filing sexual assault complaints against TMC leaders, the NCW asserted that the women were coerced into retracting their complaints.
Stating TMC’s intention to move EC against Sharma, West Bengal minister and TMC spokesperson Shashi Panja on Friday alleged that the NCW chairperson acted on “political bias” over the allegations and “encouraged women of the area to level false allegations of sexual atrocities.” Later in the day, the NCW in a letter to the poll panel claimed that women from the riverine area were being “compelled” to withdraw their complaints by TMC workers given the ongoing Lok Sabha polls and sought an inquiry from the Election Commission in the matter.
“It has come to the notice of the Commission that the women of Sandeshkhali are being compelled to withdraw their complaints by TMC workers as they are the ruling party in West Bengal,” the women’s panel said.
National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma, after visiting Sandeshkali in February, had recommended to President Droupadi Murmu that President’s Rule be imposed in West Bengal over alleged atrocities on women and violence in Sandeshkhali.
Multiple purported videos of Sandeshkhali women shared by the TMC on Thursday claimed that a local saffron party leader made those women sign on blank papers which were later filled up as complaints of sexual assault.
The women in those purported videos claimed they were asked by local BJP worker Piyali Das to appear in person at the local police station and relate their ordeal before the NCW team which had visited Sandeshkhali to take stock of the situation.
The women later alleged that they never intended to lodge sexual assault complaints but were surprised to find such complaints filed in their names allegedly in the wake of the blank papers they were made to sign by Das.
Based on a complaint, police have filed an FIR against Das for coercing the women to “file false complaints”.
The TMC spokesperson claimed that the BJP was trying to create an “ecosystem” over allegations of atrocities in Sandeshkhali and that it was attempting to use various organisations for the purpose.
She alleged that although the BJP central leadership was regularly visiting West Bengal for poll campaigns, they have stopped talking about Sandeshkhali in the wake of the fresh developments from the ground.
“It is shameful that NCW has turned into BJP’s commission. We had heard about the Pulwama conspiracy in 2019, and now we are witnessing how the BJP hatches a conspiracy to malign us and the people of the state,” TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said.
The rights panel requested the poll body to ensure that women are not compelled to withdraw their complaints due to threat from TMC workers.
The Commission requested the EC to look into the matter on priority and ensure that women are not compelled to withdraw their complaints due to the threat from TMC workers.
“The TMC party workers are instilling fear among the women of Sandeshkhali to suppress the victims from coming forward with their complaints potentially impacting the fairness of the election process in the area,” the NCW claimed.
Since last Saturday, three videos have been released by a portal, with the first one showing a man who claimed to be a BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali was heard saying that the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, was behind the “whole conspiracy”.
The second video was about women, who had earlier filed rape complaints, claiming that they were made to sign a blank paper by the BJP leaders and coerced to go to the police station.
The third video showed the BJP candidate from Basirhat constituency and Sandeshkhali protestor Rekha Patra claiming that she “doesn’t know the rape survivors who were taken to Delhi to meet the President.” Reacting to TMC’s claim, the BJP dubbed it baseless and accused them of circulating “fake videos”.
“The TMC is using fake videos to change the narrative ahead of the polls. The TMC has the least regard for NCW or the dignity of the women of Sandeshkhali. All the videos released are fake and doctored,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.
The riverine Sandeshkhali area — situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, about 100 kilometres from Kolkata — had been on the boil in February with protests over allegations of sexual abuse and land grab against now arrested TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters.
The apex court asked the Delhi CM to not sign any official file unless absolutely necessary to obtain the LG’s sanction during the 21-day interim bail period.
PTI, 10 May 2024, New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cannot visit his office or the Delhi Secretariat during the tenure of his interim bail, the Supreme said on Friday as it imposed a slew of restrictions on him as part of the bail conditions.
It asked Kejriwal to not sign any official file unless absolutely necessary to obtain the Lieutenant Governor’s sanction during the 21-day interim bail period.
Imposing a raft of bail conditions on the embattled AAP leader, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said, “He shall not visit the Office of the Chief Minister and the Delhi Secretariat.” “He shall be bound by the statement made on his behalf that he shall not sign official files unless it is required and necessary for obtaining clearance/ approval of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi,” the top court said.
The bench also directed Kejriwal to furnish bail bonds in the sum of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of the jail superintendent.
“He will not make any comment with regard to his role in the present case; and will not interact with any of the witnesses and/or have access to any official files connected with the case,” the top court said.
The apex court, while granting Kejriwal the relief said there was no doubt about the fact that serious accusations have been made against him but he has not been convicted yet.
“He does not have any criminal antecedents. He is not a threat to the society,” the bench said.
In a major relief to Kejriwal, the top court granted him interim bail till June 1 to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The apex court said Kejriwal will have to surrender and go back to jail on June 2.
The matter relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s now scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.
Dawa Gyalpo Sherpa, the chief coordinator of adventure tourism in the GTA, said that the objective is to see that hundreds of homestay owners, cab operators and tourist guides earn regularly by providing services to tourists in the hills
A homestay in the hills: Sourced by The Telegraph
Bireswar Banerjee, TT, Siliguri, 09.05.24 : For the first time, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has launched a mobile app to ensure that hundreds of homestay owners and other local stakeholders of the tourism industry in Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills get adequate business.
Dawa Gyalpo Sherpa, the chief coordinator of adventure tourism in the GTA, said that the objective is to see that hundreds of homestay owners, cab operators and tourist guides earn regularly by providing services to tourists in the hills.
They can get themselves registered in the newly launched app named “darjeelingkalimpongtourismapp”, and can be downloaded from Google Playstore, he said.
“The stakeholders can register themselves through the app (available in Google Playstore) free of cost. It will help them find tourists who intend to stay at homestays or avail transport service or the service of a guide,” said Sherpa.
He said that over the past few years, hundreds of homestay facilities have come up across Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. Such accommodations were promoted to provide an alternative earning opportunity to people in remote locations of the hills.
“But what we have noticed is that a section of homestay owners after eventually handing over their facilities to outsiders on lease with a contract of a meagre amount. They are doing it because of an assured income but it is affecting the basic concept of homestay tourism,” he added.
The app has been launched so that the GTA has a record of the homestay facilities and the local homestay owners can get tourists through it and get decent earnings instead of providing the property to somebody else on lease.
“Once a homestay owner registers through the app, he can directly contact tourists and have steady business round the year without involving any middleman or agencies,” Sherpa said.
The owners can also put details of their properties with photographs, location and description on how to reach the place, mode of transport, nearest airport and railway station and local attractions in the app. “We will put QR codes in railway stations, airports, and other transit points so that tourists can scan the code and install the app to find a homestay, a cab or a guide,” said a source.
To popularise the app, the tourism department of the GTA has started sending teams to common locations like Sittong in Kurseong subdivision, where homestays, to inform the owners. “We will cover all locations where homestays have come up to encourage owners. Transporters will be told about the app soon,” said Sherpa.
The helpline number and the portal were made public on Wednesday night, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the state unit of the saffron party to establish a legal cell for the ‘genuine’ candidates
PTI, Calcutta, 09.05.24 : The West Bengal unit of the BJP has set up a dedicated legal support website and a helpline number to assist “genuine” candidates affected by the alleged school jobs scam, a senior party leader said on Thursday.
The helpline number and the portal were made public on Wednesday night, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the state unit of the BJP to establish a legal cell for the “genuine” candidates.
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“As per the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal BJP is duty-bound to stand beside the eligible candidates who were affected due to the TMC’s illegal recruitment of some people,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.
The legal support website is ‘bjplegalsupport.org’ and helpline number is 9150056618, he said.
“Once a complaint is received through the helpline number or the website, we will speak to the candidate concerned and seek the status of his or her case, following which we will provide legal help accordingly,” he said.
While addressing election rallies in the state on Friday, Modi had issued the direction to the state BJP in a bid to address grievances stemming from the scam and assured of support to genuine candidates who were affected.
The Calcutta High Court had on April 22 declared the recruitment process of the State Level Selection Test-2016 (SLST) in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools as “null and void”, ordering the cancellation of all appointments made through it. Around 26,000 people lost their jobs following the court order.
The Supreme Court, however, on Tuesday stayed the Calcutta High Court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staffers made by the state’s School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and aided schools.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, however, permitted the CBI to continue with its investigation and probe even members of the state cabinet but asked the agency not to take any precipitate action like arresting a suspect.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused the BJP of “hatching the conspiracy” to snatch away the school jobs and thanked the apex court for staying the Calcutta High Court order.
The districts in south Bengal, which suffered a long spell of heatwave with the highest temperature in Calcutta breaking a 50-year record at 43 degrees Celsius, got relief from the scorching heat from early this week with conditions becoming favourable for thunderstorms and rain in the region
PTI, Calcutta, 09.05.24: A thundersquall accompanied by hailstorms lashed Calcutta and adjoining districts of South and North 24 Parganas on Thursday afternoon.
The presence of a cyclonic circulation over Bangladesh and its neighbourhood besides strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal will cause thunderstorms with lightning and gusty wind over West Bengal till May 12, the Met department said.
A thundersquall hit Calcutta and adjoining South and North 24 Parganas district, accompanied by hailstorms in some places of the city, the Met said.
The districts in south Bengal, which suffered a long spell of heatwave with the highest temperature in Calcutta breaking a 50-year record at 43 degrees Celsius, got relief from the scorching heat from early this week with conditions becoming favourable for thunderstorms and rain in the region.
Footage was shown from two cameras — one near the North Gate and the other near the Raj Bhavan police outpost — not far from the main building
The screening of the CCTV footage at Raj Bhavan. Sourced by the Telegraph.
Monalisa Chaudhuri, TT, Calcutta, 10.05.24 : The Raj Bhavan showed CCTV footage for over an hour to a gathering of citizens on Thursday but not of the rooms where governor C.V. Ananda Bose has been accused of harassing a woman employee on April 24 and May 2.
The footage clearly showed the woman on the Raj Bhavan compound. On Thursday evening, she said: “Videos of mine have been circulated by Dr Bose without my permission and without blurring my face and body. I have learned that this is a crime.”
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She added: “I have already received this unblurred video from one of those who attended the event. That means it has been circulated and with the specific purpose of maligning my dignity.”
Indian law restricts people from revealing the identity of a sexual harassment complainant.
Bose had announced an email ID and a telephone number for ordinary citizens to register to see the footage. The Telegraph was at the Raj Bhavan to see the footage.
Footage was shown from two cameras — one near the North Gate and the other near the Raj Bhavan police outpost — not far from the main building.
A Raj Bhavan staff member said there was no CCTV camera in the first-floor room where the alleged May 2 incident happened. It could not be ascertained whether the room where the alleged April 24 incident took place has a CCTV camera.
Here’s what the footage showed and what it did not:
What was shown
· May 2, 5.33pm: A woman (purportedly the complainant) is seen walking hurriedly towards the police outpost. Her face is visible in the footage. She lifts her hand once, apparently asking something from a policeman nearby. She then walks towards the outpost.
Several men in white police uniform are seen standing, talking among themselves. A man and a second woman, wearing white and green salwar-kameez with a green dupatta, are seen walking behind the woman. The man and this second woman part ways as the man walks out of the main gate. The second woman comes near the outpost and stands there for a few minutes.
· 5.37pm: The second woman, later identified as a Raj Bhavan staff member, is seen loitering outside the police outpost and the sentry posts, making phone calls. The complainant has named this second woman to the police as one of those who allegedly tried to stop her when she was going to the police.
· 6.03pm: A fire tender arrives and heads into the Raj Bhavan as part of the security detail before the arrival of the Prime Minister. Narendra Modi visited Calcutta the same day and spent the night at the Raj Bhavan.
The complainant is still inside the police outpost.
· 6.29pm: The deputy commissioner (reserve force) of city police, who is in charge of Raj Bhavan security, is seen briefing police personnel. The complainant is still inside the police outpost and is not visible in the footage any more.
· 6.41pm: The footage ends with a large number of police personnel standing in the compound. The woman is still inside.
Not shown
· Any footage from inside the Raj Bhavan building where the alleged harassment happened. The closest that is visible in the footage is a portion of the Raj Bhavan compound several metres from the main building.
· Any footage from the room where, according to the woman’s police complaint, the governor had made physical advances on her on April 24.
· Any footage from the room where the governor had called her on May 2 and later allegedly tried to touch her inappropriately.
· Any footage from the room where the woman was allegedly confined and where her phone and bag were allegedly snatched.
· Any footage from the ground-floor corridor from where she says she entered the office of a senior Raj Bhavan official to report the incident before she came out of the building.
The woman has told the police she was crying while walking down the corridor. “There is a camera in the corridor and one near the lift. The footage from any of these cameras would have shown me crying,” the woman told this newspaper on Thursday.
· Footage of the woman stepping out of the outpost. (The woman has alleged that some Raj Bhavan staff were waiting outside the outpost and tried to send her home in an official vehicle, which she refused.)
The paper has emerged in the middle of the 2024 general election, during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have tried to stoke insecurity among Hindus by portraying the Congress as a party that leans towards Muslims
A woman shows her inked finger after voting in Bareilly on Tuesday.: PTI picture.
G.S. Mudur, TT, New Delhi, 10.05.24 :
Credible questions have been raised on conclusions reached by the Prime Minister’s economic advisory panel on the changing degree of India’s minority population over decades.
A non-government organisation that advocates population health and development strategies has called the panel’s interpretation “misleading and baseless” and has advised people not to engage with them.
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The Population Foundation of India said on Thursday that it was “deeply concerned” about how the media had misrepresented the study’s observations on the changes in the shares of India’s majority and minority religious groups over 65 years.
A PTI report on Thursday said a May 2024 paper by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) had noted that the share of the Hindu population had decreased by 7.8 per cent while that of the Muslim population had increased by 43.1 per cent between 1950 and 2015.
The paper, titled “Share of Religious Minorities: A cross-country analysis (1950-2015)”, also said the share of Jains in India’s population had decreased from 0.45 per cent in 1950 to 0.36 per cent in 2015.
“The share of the majority Hindu population decreased by 7.82 per cent between 1950 and 2015 (from 84.68 per cent to 78.06 per cent). The share of the Muslim population in 1950 was 9.84 per cent and increased to 14.09 per cent in 2015 — a 43.15 per cent increase,” the PTI report said, citing the paper prepared by a team led by Shamika Ravi, a member of the EAC-PM.
The paper EAC/PM/WP/29/2024 was not accessible through the EAC PM website on Thursday evening.
The paper has emerged in the middle of the 2024 general election, during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have tried to stoke insecurity among Hindus by portraying the Congress as a party that leans towards Muslims.
The EAC-PM study’s observations “should not be used to incite fear or discrimination against any community”, said the Population Foundation, a 54-year-old non-profit organisation engaged in gender-sensitive population and development activities, including adolescents’ health and women’s empowerment.
The foundation has asserted that fertility rates are closely linked to education and income levels, and not religion. “States with better access to education, healthcare and socioeconomic development such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu exhibit lower total fertility rates across all religious groups,” it said.
“The media’s selective portrayal of data to highlight the increase in the Muslim population is an example of misrepresentation that has ignored broader demographic trends,” the foundation’s executive director, Poonam Muttreja, said.
Citing census data, the foundation said the decadal growth rate for Muslims had decreased from 32.9 per cent between 1981 and 1991 to 24.6 per cent between 2001 and 2011.
“This decline is more pronounced than that of Hindus, whose growth rate fell from 22.7 per cent to 16.8 per cent over the same period,” it said.
The foundation also said the population censuses from 1951 through 2011 had produced data “similar” to that in the EAC-PM paper, implying that the paper had not revealed new data or trends.
The EAC-PM paper focused on the changes in the religious compositions of populations in countries around the world, saying this aspect was “an axis of demographic change that has been under-studied”.
The paper hypothesises that the changes in the proportions of minority populations relative to a country’s total population are a “good proxy” for understanding the status of minorities in that country over time.
“A society which provides a congenial environment for the flourishing of minorities is more likely to witness an increase or stabilisation in their numbers over a period of three generations,” it said.
The Population Foundation has, however, underscored the association between fertility rates and education and income.
For instance, the total fertility rate (TFR) — the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime — among Muslim women in Kerala (2.25) is lower than the TFR among Hindu women in Bihar (2.88), it said.
The TFR is declining among all religious groups and the steepest decrease in the TFR from 2005-06 to 2019-21 was among Muslims — by 1 percentage point — while it was 0.7 percentage points among Hindus.
Countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia have achieved lower birth rates compared to India through higher levels of female education, greater employment opportunities, and better access to contraceptive choices, the foundation said.
“The most effective way to manage population growth is through investment in education, economic development, and gender equity,” Muttreja said.
“And women’s education is a critical factor in reducing fertility rates. Interventions should focus on providing education and family planning services, irrespective of religion.”
Pradip Chatterjee, MP, 9 May 2024, Kolkata: In a unique initiative the state health department has set up a ‘district autism centre’ in all the districts of Bengal to strengthen early screening and diagnosis of autistic children for their better treatment at doorsteps and also to ensure that toddlers get all the benefits that the state government offers.
An autism centre has come up in the district hospital in the districts where there is no medical college. The new facility has been introduced in the medical college in case of the districts which have a medical college and hospital. Earlier, the autism centre was not available in all the districts. A proper treatment for autistic children was only available in Kolkata and other cities.
The autistic children from the districts will now be able to avail treatment at their doorsteps at state government hospitals. Earlier the parents had to take their autistic children to various private health establishments where the treatment cost remained hefty. The patients did not get any disability certificates earlier. Instead, they used to get a certificate based on mental retardation.
Now, the patients will get an autism spectrum disorder certificate as a result they will be eligible to enjoy several facilities which are offered to them both by the Centre and the State government.
After the ‘district autism centre’ comes up in each district, the people in villages will now be able to avail treatment by trained personnel. Assessment of autistic children, speech therapy, behavioural therapy and special education are being provided at all the ‘district autism centres’ to bring these children back to the mainstream of life.
The Bengal government provides these children Rs 1000 per month as a pension while the Centre issues UID card that gives facilities to patients in hospitals in other states. Through UID cards autistic children can get train concessions.
“If a child is unable to walk after he/she attains one year and fails to speak even after attaining 2 years of age, the parents should be alert and bring their children to the autism centre of the districts or to a clinical psychologist.
Parents and the people around should be aware so that the affected children are brought for treatment when they attain one and half years of age,” said Abhishek Hansa, clinical psychologist, at Balurghat District Hospital.
The awareness programme not only boosts their knowledge but also helps them cope with it more positively.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), commonly called autism, refers to a lifelong condition that affects the ability of the person to communicate and relate with others. Children with autism often have poor language skills, less eye contact and have limited interaction with people around them.
Gourab Neto, MP, 9 May 2024, Kolkata: A primary school teacher was arrested on Wednesday afternoon by the cops of Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station for allegedly obtaining a personal loan using forged documents.
The woman identified as Payel Mondal was produced at the Bidhannagar ACJM Court on Thursday and has been remanded to police custody for five days. According to sources, during the middle of last year, Mondal, a school teacher at a primary school of Kashipur in South 24-Parganas had appealed for a personal loan of Rs 3 lakh through an agency from a private bank.
After a few days, the loan was sanctioned and the amount was disbursed to Mondal’s State Bank of India (SBI) account. Sources informed that after obtaining the loan, the private bank noticed that the Easy Monthly Instalment (EMI) was not paid for a few months.
While scrutinising the documents, the private bank authorities found that Mondal had used the PAN Card and Aadhar Card of another woman whose name is the same but the photo was different. Immediately a complaint was lodged at the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime police station against Mondal.
During the probe, cops gathered evidence and finally on Wednesday she was arrested from her residence in Kasba. Police are further probing to find out who else is connected with this fraud and if any organised gang is active to cheat the banks.
SOUMITRA NANDI, MP, 9 May 2024, Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has enhanced the approved limit of admitting students in class XI to 300 from 275 with many schools seeking permission for admitting more students. “This year, the schools will be allowed to admit 300 students in class XI.
When the limit is reached, the portal will automatically get closed and the process will stop. In case a school wants to admit more students, it has to apply to us through the concerned DI (District Inspector of School) and we will grant permission to admit an additional 100 students, taking the total number to 400.
If any school seeks the nod for admitting students beyond 400 and apply to us, a team from our regional office will go for physical inspection. Only after examining the necessary infrastructure will we allow further admission,” said Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, president of WBCHSE .
In the case of self-financed schools, the approved limit of admission is 400. In case they seek the nod for admitting excess students, the same process of physical verification from the regional office will be held for necessary action.
The Council has communicated its decision to heads of all higher secondary institutions. The last date for submission of online application for seeking excess admission is June 30, 2024. ’ “There are some 6,000 odd schools in the Higher Secondary level. Some new subjects were introduced this year.
In order to allow students to take up subjects of their choice, the approved limit of admitting students was increased by the Council,” said Partha Pratim Baidya, headmaster of Jadavpur Vidyapith. Subhrajit Dutta, headmaster of Hindu School said that the total seats in class XI is 230, out of which 173 students got direct admission.
“The remaining students will be admitted from the merit list that will be published by May 20. If there is demand for more admission, we will seek permission from the School Education department. Being a direct government school, ours is not under DI. Hence the excess admission communique from the Council has little to do with Hindu School,” he added.
MP, 10 May 2024, Kolkata: Revealing yet another video where the BJP’s Basirhat candidate Rekha Patra, along with few other women, were purportedly heard alleging that random women were taken to meet the President of India instead of the victims of alleged sexual harassment in Sandeshkhali,
Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday requested the Election Commission (EC) to direct the appropriate police station to initiate criminal proceedings against state BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and others involved in hatching a conspiracy.
Following the first video clip revealed by TMC where a BJP leader Gangadhar Kayal was purportedly heard saying that few women in Sandeshkhali were paid by his party leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, to lodge false complaints of sexual harassment against some of the local Trinamool leaders, another clip was released by TMC on Thursday which purportedly showed Rekha Patra and some other women alleging that random women were taken to meet the President of India instead of the victims.
The authenticity of the video clips in question has not been verified by Millennium Post. In its deputation to the EC, Trinamool complained against Suvendu Adhikari, Gangadhar Kayal, BJP’s mandal sabhapati in Sandeshkhali-II, Shanti Dolui, BJP’s mandal sabhapati in Sandeshkhali-I and other unknown individuals associated for alleged commission of “serious fraud upon society by terrorizing the general public with a false narrative of hostility being committed against women of Sandeshkhali, including rape.”
Trinamool alleged that these people engaged in a “deep-rooted conspiracy to orchestrate false rape complaints” against now suspended TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar. The party alleged that it was done by the BJP to tarnish its image and sway public opinion in favour of the saffron brigade.
The party further alleged that one of the complainant Jaba Rani Singha admitted to being misled and coerced into signing a false statement without fully understanding its implications. TMC demanded that the EC issue immediate direction to respective Inspector-in-Charges of competent police stations to initiate criminal proceedings against BJP leaders including Suvendu Adhikari and people associated with him for orchestrating the conspiracy.
They demanded detention and interrogation of all individuals seen in the videos. Lastly, EC was requested to issue directions for restraining the BJP and its leaders from speaking on the “false Sandeshkhali incident”.
On Thursday, BJP candidate Rekha Patra submitted her nominations in the district magistrate’s office in Barasat and was accompanied by Suvendu Adhikari but the duo reportedly refused to speak on the matter. Adhikari, however, reportedly told the media that the videos are a conspiracy hatched by Trinamool’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and the I-PAC organisation.
Meanwhile, a complaint has been filed against BJP leader Gangadhar Kayal and Basirhat BJP candidate Rekha Patra in the Sandeshkhali in connection with the sting video footage incident.
According to sources, a local resident reportedly lodged the complaint against them
EOI, GUWAHATI, MAY 9, 2024 : In a major
milestone in the form of tunnel No. T-04/P2
(3948 meters long) to the Adit of the Sivok
– Rangpo Rail Project (SRRP), located in
Darjeeling district of West Bengal,
achieved a breakthrough on Wednesday.
With the tunnel breakthrough, mining
activities have been successfully
accomplished in all the Adit tunnels of this
project.
The length of the Main Tunnel of T-04
is 3948 meters, along with an Evacuation
Tunnel of length 599 meters situated near
the Hanuman Jhora in Darjeeling district,
according to an N R Railway communique.
The Main Tunnel traverses through
vulnerable and challenging geological and
seismic conditions of the Younger
Himalayas.
Like all other tunnels in the
SRRP, to counter vulnerability of the
ground mass, latest and most sophisticated
tunneling technology, i.e., New Austrian
Tunneling Method (NATM) has been used
here.
The Sivok – Rangpo new rail link project
connecting Sivok (West Bengal) and Rangpo
(Sikkim) is about 45 kms long and is
characterized by 14 tunnels, 13 major
bridges, nine minor bridges
and five stations.
The length of the longest
tunnel (T-10) is 5.3 km and
length of longest bridge (Br-
17) is 425 meters. About 38.65
kms of the entire project
alignment is passing through
tunnels. Ninety-three per
cent of the tunneling work
has already been completed.
At present final lining
has been completed in tunnel
T-14 & T-09 and is under
progress in tunnel T-02, T-03,
T-05, T-06, T-07, T-10, T-11 and T-12. Total
13.13 km lining has been completed till date.
Work in all sections is being carried out
round the clock 24×7. This is one of the most
prestigious ongoing national projects in
India and on completion of this project, first
time the state of Sikkim will be connected
via railways.
This rail network on its
completion is aimed to provide alternate and
stable connectivity to the state of Sikkim. At
present all the activities related to
construction of tunnels, bridges and station
yards are going on a war footing for early
completion of the project.
