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Gorkhas hold separate state demand torch rally

May 15, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Salugara (West Bengal), May 15 (ANI): The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) held a torch procession at Salugara town in West Bengal”s Jalpaiguri District in support of their demand for a separate state.

“The Siliguri land is ours. History has witnessed our fight for our survival here.

Therefore, this is our land. The Bengal government should leave this land. It should not capture the land forcefully. Therefore, today, we have taken out this torch rally to protest against this,” said Arjun Pradhan, a central committee leader of GJM.

Earlier on April 9, GJM chief Bimal Gurung met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi, who assured him that he would talk to the Government of West Bengal and Trinamool Congress about the new territory.

The GJM had agreed during the fifth round of tripartite talks in New Delhi to the constitution of Interim Council by next year prior to the creation of a separate state.

The Gorkhas are demanding a separate state to protect their culture and heritage.

The Gorkha population in West Bengal is estimated to be around a million. (ANI)

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West Bengal rehabilitates surrendered Kamtapur rebels

April 20, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Jalpaiguri (West Bengal), Apr 20 (ANI): West Bengal Government has launched a special scheme at Jalpaiguri to rehabilitate the surrendered rebels of Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), a banned militant outfit.

To herald this project, a function was organised here when the surrendered persons interacted with district administration officials, the top brass of the police and also the media persons.

They are being trained in productive vocations under a scheme named Rashtriya Sam Vikash Yojana (RSVY).

Biswajyoti Das, the coordinator of this programme said that the initial response has been quite encouraging and they are hopeful reforming almost all the surrendered KLO persons.

Out of the 150 and odd surrendered KLO rebels, 52 have been attending the rehabilitation programme mooted under RSVY.

“Although we have expected around 100 surrendered persons to undergo this special rehabilitation programme, presently we have 52. Actually when the Chief Minister visited Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and other regions in north Bengal he wished to know whether we have maintained any contact with the surrendered and former KLP rebels. He prompted the Commissioner to lend a fillip to this rehablitaion programme and it has been going on well,” said Das.

Das further said that there is ample scope for the former KLO activists to become enterprising individuals in the society.

“Yes, with rupees 30,000 bank loan there is hope for these surrendered persons. We have tried to find out and spot the talent among them to learn some trade or the other like carpentry, tailoring, electrical work etc. with which we could send them to ITI (Industrial Training Institutes) for further training. With the bank loan of rupees 30,000, there is scope for them to become entrepreneurs,” he added.

In the public interaction, a couple of the former KLO activists said that they wished to avail more of concrete assistance from the government of West Bengal in addition to training in some trade.

Duringr a span of 15 days they in be trained with farming, animal husbandry and other activities.

The KLO had been one of the major terrorist outfits operating beyond Malda and in the Cooch Behar region of West Bengal. The KLO, prior to its ban, used to train its activists in the jungles bordering Assam, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

The prime objective of KLO was to carve out a separate Kamtapur State comprising six districts – Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur and Malda of West Bengal and four contiguous districts of Assam – Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara. (ANI)

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Siliguri women learn embroidery skills for self-employment

April 17, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Siliguri (West Bengal), Apr 17 (ANI): The Ministry of Textiles, Government of West Bengal, has started the programme to impart training to 30 skilled women of Putimari village of Siliguri.

The Ministry of Textiles came up with such a program where the women of the village got a chance to make them self-employed.

The products they are making are mostly pillow cover, dress materials, kurtas (traditional Indian attire) and bed sheets. After getting trained these women will form a cooperative in the village where they will make the same things in large scale to sell in the market.

“We train women from the villages who are above 18 years of age because women in India have always been pushed back. Women can”t go out of their homes and work, as they are not strong enough. So, the Ministry of Textiles decided to train them so that their creativity comes out. The ministry also helps them to sell their products in the crafts fair all over India,” said Sahana Dey Chatterjee, designer of eastern region, Ministry Of Textile And Handicrafts, Government Of India.

These women used to stay back at their home doing up the homely work that most of the ladies are imparted with.

“We live in a village and don”t get anything, we live too far from the city. We did not know about these things. We got training and we are really happy. In our future we can do really good work like we can start our own business,” said Bina Das, trainee of the programme.

The women who are taking up the training are very happy to take up such challenge and feel that they are no longer behind the male counterpart of the family. (ANI)

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Marxist-Leninst activists stage protest against spiralling prices in West Bengal

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kolkata, Sep 3 (ANI): Members of the West Bengal state unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation, staged a mass protest against the risen prices of essential commodities here.

Over 500 protestors took out a procession holding banners and raising slogans against the State government.

They alleged that the Communist state government has created artificial shortage of essential commodities at the behest of hoarders and black-marketing traders.

“The callous government of West Bengal has failed to reduce the prices of essential commodities and failure to supply essential commodities to the PDS (Public Distribution System). They are supporting and patronising hoarders so that the artificial crisis increases,” said Partha Ghosh, Secretary, West Bengal State unit of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation.

The Kolkata Police arrested some of the party supporters when they tried to violate the prohibitory orders in force.

The soaring prices of food grains, sugar and other items of daily needs because of weak monsoon and drought like situation, have created an explosive situation in India because of weak monsoon and drought like situation. (ANI)

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Final assault in Lalgarh faces demonstrations against operations

June 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 30 (ANI): Police here on Tuesday detained several protestors demonstrating against the paramilitary forces’ operations against Maoists in West Bengal.

Activists of the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF) and the Naujawan Bharat Sabha (NBS) held banners, placards and raised slogans against the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Government of West Bengal for deployment of security personnel against the Maoists.

Protesters demanded immediate withdrawal of the Border Security Force (BSF), the Assam Rifles, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Commando Battalion for Retaliate Action (COBRA) and other elite paramilitary forces along with the West Bengal police from Lalgarh town in West Midnapore district, which was recently captured by the Maoist rebels.

“We oppose the state terror that is going on in Lalgarh and atrocities are being done on tribals. Lalgarh’s cause is a public issue. This protest will continue and no state terror can stop it,” said an unidentified protester.

Protesters also demanded that alleged harassment of women and children in Lalgarh should immediately be stopped.

Paramilitary forces began their final assault on a Maoist stronghold, Katapahari region in West Bengal on Monday.

Earlier this week, the Central Government banned and formally labelled the Maoist insurgents as a terrorist group, hoping it would give security forces more enforcement powers after the rebels briefly created a “liberated zone” in West Bengal.

The move allows authorities to arrest members of the Maoist party even if they have not been involved in rebel violence. (ANI)

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Protest against inefficient measures for cyclone Aila victims

May 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kolkata, May 30 (ANI): Congress Party supporters protested on Saturday against inefficient disaster management by the State authorities following cyclone Aila’s havoc in different parts of the state.

Protestors said that the relief work being carried out by the State Government was inadequate and much more needed to be done for affected people’s actual help.

Participants in the protest said that though the state government has demanded grant from the Central government but it remains to be assured that the money and relief material will reach the affected families.

Protestors also burnt the effigy of State Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkata.

“The cyclone Aila has affected the southern and northern parts of the state leaving thousands of people affected. The river area of 400 kilometres has been affected. Vast damage has taken place. There has been a lot of damage. Almost 150 people have died. But the disaster management programme of the government of West Bengal, to tackle the aftermath of natural disasters, is a complete failure,” said Pradip Prasad, Youth Congress Party Leader leading the protest.

Cyclone Aila that originated over the Bay of Bengal on Monday (May 25) caused havoc in many parts of West Bengal and Bangladesh.

The resultant thunderstorm, tidal waves and flooding forced half a million people to abandon their homes in Medinipur, Sundarbans (located in South 24 Parganas), North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts.

Millions of people in India and Bangladesh who have been temporarily displaced are in desperate need of water, food and adequate shelter after the cyclone Aila hit the region.

It is estimated that cyclone Aila killed at least 210 people and injured over 6,400 in India and Bangladesh.

While hundreds of thousands of residents were evacuated to cyclone shelters, schools, colleges and other buildings, the high winds and floods destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, ravaged crops, killed livestock and damaged roads and bridges.

In West Bengal, authorities say that nearly 2.3 million people have been affected. (ANI)

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Siliguri Bengalis oppose Gorkhaland

May 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Siliguri, May 15 (ANI): Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Bachao Committee, which is opposing the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of West Bengal, has called for one-day strike in Siliguri.

Few vehicles plied on the roads and shops were closed. Most of the people stayed indoors.

The organization is demanding re-election for the Darjeeling constituency. Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Bachao Committee believes that the elections in Darjeeling hills were completely unfair.

“First of all the election was illegal. This election in the Darjeeling constituency must be made null and void. Secondly, there should be a re-election not only in the Darjeeling Hill Council but whole of the Darjeeling constituency,” said Mukunda Majumder, president, Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Bachao Committee.

The organization also burnt effigies of Jaswant Singh, a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Darjeeling seat and Bimal Gurung, Chief of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJMM) for supporting the Gorkhaland statehood demand.

The Central Government, the State Government of West Bengal and the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), an organization which is demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland, signed an agreement in 1988, paving the way for setting up of the Autonomous Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (ADGHC).

However, a breakaway faction of GNLF in early 2008 set up the GJMM which over the past couple of months has been spearheading the agitation for the separate state of Gorkhaland. (ANI)

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Gorkha National Liberation Front to boycott polls

April 13, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Siliguri, Apr 13 (ANI): The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), an organisation which is demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of West Bengal, announced its boycott of the upcoming national polls.

“Neither NDA nor UPA can bring the demand of Gorkhaland true for us. GNLF’s decision to boycott the polls will be a decisive factor for both the Congress and the BJP in the hills in the upcoming elections with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate to be the ultimate gainer,” said Subhas Gishing, president, GNLF.

The Central Government, the State Government of West Bengal and the GNLF signed an agreement paving the way for setting up the Autonomous Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (ADGHC) in 1988.

However, in early 2008, a breakaway faction of GNLF set up the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), which over the past couple of months has been spearheading the agitation for the separate state of Gorkhaland.

On the other hand ‘Bangla o Bangla Bhasha Bachao Committee’, an organization which is opposing the separate statehood, burnt the effigies of Jaswant Singh, a candidate of the BJP from Darjeeling seat, for supporting the Gorkhaland statehood demand.

“We want to state that there should be no Gorkhaland within Bengal, and no partition of Gorkhaland is acceptable to us. Jaswant Singh and BJP have done immense harm to Bengal. As a national party, they have acted irresponsibly,” said Mukunda Majumdar, president of the committee.

GNLF, under the leadership of Subhash Gishing, initiated an agitation in 1980 demanding a separate state but dropped the demand after New Delhi agreed to confer partial autonomy in 1988 for the Nepalese-speaking people under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India. (ANI)

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ISA Vision Summit 2009 begins in Bangalore

February 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Bangalore, Feb 17 (ANI/Business Wire India): The Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA), the trade body representing the Indian semiconductor driven industry, kicked off the ISA Vision Summit 2009 here today.

The ISA Vision Summit 2009 was inaugurated by the Guests of Honor Dr. Debesh Das, Honorable Minister-in-Charge, Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal and Dr. Arunachalam, Chairman and Founder, Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Bangalore.

Delivering his keynote address Nandan M. Nilekani, Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Infosys Technologies limited said, “Communication, healthcare and energy are the key domains that the semiconductor industry should leverage for potential business. We need solutions which are scalable and low cost to reach the billions in this country. Out demographic dividend gives us the rare advantage over the rest of the global and to this end, let us work towards this.”

The session highlighted India as an emerging market driven by innovation and addressing the unique needs of a billion people.

It was also observed that while products are manufactured and assembled in India, local sourcing is key to growth rather than imports. SMEs could drive growth in the coming period and influence both technology and its usage.

There is a need for better hardware and software to be developed together to be more effective.

Summing up the proceedings of the day, Poornima Shenoy, President, India Semiconductor Association said, “The discussion at these sessions and the conclusions drawn thereof are clear indicators that the India has the potential to be a global leader in the area of semiconductors and solar photo voltaic. Government policy and market forces will determine this growth.”

About India Semiconductor Association (ISA) ISA is the trade body representing the semiconductor driven industry in India and has around 120 members from India and outside.

This includes design companies, the solar fabs as well as the related ecosystem. ISA has the aim of supporting the business interests of its members. ISA is engaged in providing current and credible data on the sector through research publications; working with state and central governments to improve the attractiveness of the sector; and providing events to create visibility and networking opportunities for the industry growth.

ISA is working on an India Semicon Vision to ensure the pipeline of talent for the sector.

ISA aims to establish India as the preferred global destination for semiconductor and solar photovoltaic companies.

ISA is committed towards building global awareness for the Indian semiconductor driven industry and supporting its growth through focused activities.

It has global alliances including focused collaborations in the US and Taiwan to further the interests of its members.

ISA has played a prominent role in supporting the Government of India in the Semiconductor Policy 2007. It is also involved with State Governments. (ANI)

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Gorkhas clash with tribesmen in West Bengal

January 17, 2009 By Rajesh Leave a Comment

Malbazar (West Bengal), Jan 17 (ANI): Police in West Bengal resorted to firing tear gas shells to calm agitating activists of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) as they clashed with residents in State’s Malbazar area.

Gorkhas have been demanding a separate state of ‘Gorkhaland’ to be carved out of West Bengal to protect their culture and heritage.

GJM activists planned to take out a rally in the area in support of their demand and tribals in the area under banner Akhil Bharatiya Adibashi Parisangha, who are against the demands of the Gorkhas.

Despite the orders prohibiting assembly of more than five persons issued byhe police, the activists of both the communities clashed with each other.
“We are against the Gorkhaland issue. We want to live peacefully. We re caught in this clash,” said Mithun Baro, a resident.

The GJM, comprising about half a dozen parties, has been holding protests in the Darjeeling Hills over the past few months to press their demand for statehood.

GJM is demanding that a separate state of ‘Gorkhaland’ be carved out of West Bengal to protect their culture and heritage whereas the Government of West Bengal is opposed to such a move . (ANI)

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