by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Kolkata : Claiming that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would keep on working in taking the Hindutva movement forward in West Bengal, the organisation’s state leadership on Wednesday said its membership has significantly increased here in recent years.
“In the last three to four years, the membership drive of RSS in West Bengal has yielded good results. The number of young men and women who have joined the ‘Shakhas (daily gathering units), are really high. In 2013, the number of Shakhas in West Bengal was 750, it has increased to 1,279 so far in 2018,” RSS South Bengal General Secretary Jishnu Basu told reporters here.
“In Bengal and few other states where the condition of the Hindus is not good, RSS would to try to increase its strength by increasing the number of shakhas and through its social welfare (seva) activities, so that the Hindutva movement in West Bengal can go forward and we can fight the anti-national forces like those in Dhulagarh, Kaliachawk and Khagragarh,” he said.
Referring to the prohibitory order issued by the Kolkata Police on carrying “sharp and offensive weapons” in public places, Basu said it would abide by the state law and order during the Ram Navmi celebrations this year, as long as it applies to Muharram rallies as well.
“I think the success of Ram Navmi is not dependent on brandishing weapons. The decision on how to celebrate Ram Navmi this year would be taken when the time comes. We will abide by the law and order in the state. If the state says there should be no weapons in Ram Navmi and Muharram rallies, we should follow that,” he said.
He also accused the state government of wrongly jailing their activists during Ram Navmi last year and said that the state ruling Trinamool Congress’ decision to celebrate Ram Navmi themselves this year, shows they are willing to come back to the mainstream.
“RSS does not aim to be a supporter or rival of any particular political party. So if the state ruling party Trinamool Congress or the left parties in Kerala celebrate Ram Navmi, it is good. This is what the Hindu society wants,” the RSS leader said.
“The Bengal government imprisoned 105 innocent youths for celebrating Ram Navmi last year. This year they themselves are willing to celebrate Ram Navmi. It shows that their mindset has changed and they are willing to come back to the mainstream. We welcome this change,” he added.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Emerging Businesses, Investing
Kolkata : Himadri Speciality Chemical will invest Rs 1,000 crore in five years to expand its carbon black business and expects to clock additional revenue of Rs 2,500-Rs 3,000 crore from the new product lines, an official said on Wednesday.
With this expansion, the company is expected to add another two lakh tonnes capacity from the existing 1.2 lakh tonnes, the official said.
“With a 17 per cent market share in carbon black, we are looking to produce high-end products in the speciality black. With the Rs 1,000 crore investment over five years at our Mahistikry plant in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, we expect another Rs 2,500-Rs 3,000 crore revenue from the new two lakh tonnes capacity,” company’s CEO Anurag Choudhary told reporters here.
After the completion of expansion, its total production capacity would be 3.2 lakh tonnes.
As per the expansion plan, the company expects to add 60,000 tonnes in capacity by April 2019 in the first phase, he said.
He said the company produces 15 grades of carbon black and with this expansion, it will be introducing additional 40 new grades of the product.
These different grades of speciality black have applications in racing tyres, moulded rubber goods, and many other products, Choudhary said.
The company is mostly targeting the exports markets of north America, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East for these high-end products. The company is expecting to clock Rs 2,200 crore revenue in the current fiscal.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Darjeeling : Months after violence and tension erupted in the north West Bengal hills centering the Gorkhland movement, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asked the political outfits in Darjeeling to maintain peace and ensure no form of violence returns to the region.
“Please give us peace, we will give you prosperity, that is our commitment. That is our assurance,” Banerjee said here after inaugurating the first ‘Hill Business Summit’, nearly six months after the longest ever shutdown in the Darjeeling hills was withdrawn.
“Please see Darjeeling is clean and green. Please ensure that there isn’t any violence. If there is violence, some political leaders might gain, but the people of Darjeeling won’t gain from it. The young generation would become more and more impatient,” she said.
The Chief Minister also announced that her government would provide Rs 100 crore for promotional development of job oriented industries in the region.
“Let’s first make a start. Our government is fully ready to help you. I can also assure you on behalf of the industrialists that they will give you full cooperation,” she said.
Banerjee said special focus would be given to agriculture, horticulture industries, food processing zones, nurturing of orchids and developing IT infrastructure in the region.
She also requested the industrialists present at the meeting as well as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to prepare an action plan specially for Darjeeling where people are suffering from acute water problems.
“I think the youth of Darjeeling are skilled. They have a lot of potential. They can be used in different industrial sectors. Two IT parks would be set up in Kalimpong and Darjeeling. It can be done in Kurseong and Mirik too. IT has a lot of scope here,” she said.
Noting people from around the world want to come to Darjeeling because of its beauty, Banerjee said there is enough scope for the tourism and transport industry to thrive there.
“Let’s compete on the basis of development. I want the people of Darjeeling to be well,” she added.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Kolkata : Ridiculing Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s call for “Delhi Chalo” to her workers, West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on Monday said after her party’s performance in Tripura polls, she should better concentrate on Bengal and stop being a big mouth.
“Trinamool has polled less than 0.3 per cent votes in Tripura, which is even less than the votes recorded under NOTA (None of the Above) in the election. But still Didi (Banerjee) dreams of going to Delhi.
“Her party has shut shop in Manipura, its shutters have come down in Tripura, the signboard has been removed in Punjab… So, she should desist from taking about Delhi, stop being a big mouth and rather concentrate on Bengal,” he said.
About Banerjee’s efforts to cobble up a third front, Ghosh said: “Who will she join hands with? RJD leader Laloo Prasad is in jail, she cannot decide whether to holds hands of the feuding father or the feuding son of the Samajwadi Party. And so, she has now joined hands with the Shiv Sena, which she has been labelling as communal all these years.”
On reports that TRS leader K.C. Rao would come to Kolkata on Tuesday and talk to Banerjee, Ghosh said: “I would caution him that before reaching Bengal, he should read Didi’s history. Whoeve she has joined hands with has been ruined. So I urge KCR, not to hold hands with her.”
Responding to Banerjee’s allegation that the BJP and the RSS cadres were throwing meat at religious placed to foment communal trouble, Ghosh said: “Banerjee is seeing nightmares in Bengal after what happened in Tripura. Be it BJP, or RSS, whoever is involved, the court will give them punishment.
“But how can she say so? Cadres of Jamaat, SIMI and Al Qaida are roaming freely in the state. They are being arrested daily,” he said.
Asked whether the Tripura verdict — where the BJP has come to power by unseating the 25-year-old Left Front regime — would impact Bengal, he said: “It is already… It has already impacted Trinamool.”
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, Investing
Amit Mitra
Kolkata : West Bengal government has submitted a Rs 350-crore project for Bantala leather cluster, aiming to modernise and expand the existing Calcutta Leather Complex located in the outskirts of the city, a minister said on Monday.
“We have already sent a proposal to the Centre for co-funding in the Rs 350-crore project. But, we are not waiting but going ahead with some of the components of the project,” state Finance Minister Amit Mitra said.
He, however, did not reveal the amounts of respective shares of the state and central centre governments in the project.
In the past several years, tanneries in the Leather Complex have been complaining against the inadequate infrastructure.
“Already, five lakh people are associated with the sector and I hope additional two lakh more employment would be generated once the project is complete,” Mitra said while inaugurating a leather exhibition and fair here.
Mitra also claimed about 300 fresh applications from Kanpur, Chennai and Kolkata were received expressing interest in setting up new units here.
State’s leather and leather products exports account for about USD one billion out of aggregate exports of USD 8.5 billion in 2016-17, Mitra added.
—IANS
