According to an Uber spokesman, the new service will be titled ‘Uber Shuttle’ for daily commute in Kolkata…reports Asian Lite News
Uber will now run buses in Kolkata jointly with the West Bengal transport department.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between Uber and the transport department here on Wednesday.
According to an Uber spokesman, the new service will be titled ‘Uber Shuttle’ for daily commute in Kolkata.
Claiming that this is the first of its kind partnership, the spokesman said that the proposed service will tap into Uber’s global expertise with an aim to provide tech-optimised mobility choice using private bus fleets.
“The launch of Uber Shuttle will help in tackling road congestion while getting more people to commute in fewer vehicles, which in turn will help reduce carbon emissions,” he said.
It is learnt that the new service will be available by March 2024.
“Uber will run approximately 60 air-conditioned buses on predefined routes, connecting business districts with residential areas in Kolkata. As part of this MoU, Uber has proposed to invest $10 million by 2025 in the state and create approximately 50,000 livelihood opportunities in Kolkata in the next five years,” the spokesman added.
The MoU was signed during the Bengal Global Business Summit, 2023 which concluded on Wednesday.
The Uber spokesman also said that with the launch of Uber Shuttle, commuters will now be able to pre-book seats up to a week in advance, follow the live location and route of the bus, and know its expected time of arrival, just like they can do with Uber cab.
“This will bring alive a convenient commute experience with no standing passengers, cashless payments, and round-the-clock safety support from Uber, including having access to a 24×7 Safety Line. The buses will run on each route from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily,” he added.
After coming to power with a thumping majority in 2006, the then Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Left Front government had announced the Nano project at Singur by TML…reports Asian Lite News
West Bengal Minister of State (independent) charge of Finance Department Chandrima Bhattacharya on Tuesday said that the Bengal government will challenge order of arbitral tribunal which has directed the government to pay a compensation of Rs 765.78 crore to Tata Motors Limited (TML) for closing Nano car project in Singur in Hooghly district.
The tribunal had also asked the government to pay an additional interest at the rate of 11 per cent accrued on it since September 2016 to Tata Motors Limited (TML).
“Even the Supreme Court had observed that the manner in which the land was acquired for the project in Singur was unconstitutional. From the apex court verdict it was clear that the land was acquired forcefully from the farmers and later transferred to TM,” the minister said.
She said that during the previous Left Front regime, the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), the nodal wing under the state commerce & industries department, made a secret agreement with TML inserting the clause of compensation through arbitral tribunal.
“The move by the corporate entity was a part of a bigger conspiracy plot drafted by the CPI(M),” the minister said.
It is learnt that the top bureaucrats have already started interacting with the legal luminaries regarding challenging the tribunal order. “We are studying the two options on whether to approach the Supreme Court directly or approach the Calcutta High Court,” a state government official said.
After coming to power with a thumping majority in 2006, the then Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Left Front government had announced the Nano project at Singur by TML.
Accordingly, the work for setting up of the factory started there after the state government finished the process of land acquisition for the project.
However, the problem started after a small section of the land-owners refused to accept the compensation cheques and started agitating against the land acquisition.
The Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee, the principal opposition party at the time, had started a massive agitation at Singur against the land acquisition.
In face of the agitation, Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata finally withdrew from Singur and Sanand in Gujarat became the new site for the Nano project.
After coming to power in 2011, the first decision of the Mamata Banerjee-led Cabinet was to promulgate a new law for return of land at Singur to all the land-owners.
Kumar received a trophy and Rs 1 lakh from West Bengal Governor Dr. CV Ananda Bose at the Throne Hall ceremony….reports Asian Lite News
Asok Kumar, who belongs to the 1991 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS-Telangana Cadre), received the West Bengal Governor’s Award for Excellence – 2023 for outstanding contributions to public services on Monday.
During the award ceremony held at the Throne Hall of the West Bengal Raj Bhavan, in the presence of a distinguished gathering, Kumar was given a trophy and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh, by Dr CV Ananda Bose, Governor of West Bengal.
“I am excited to receive the award along with my wife Dr Bindu and our son Gaurav, as they have also contributed to my work to the public, by bearing with me, supporting me and silently absolving me of the pangs of guilt of placing, many a time, my work priorities ahead and over the familial responsibilities,” said Kumar, Special Secretary and Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga.
Recently, the Namami Gange project headed by Kumar was recognised as “One of the Top Ten World Restoration Flagships” by the UN at the CoP15 meeting in Montreal in 2022.
Under the Namami Gange project over 2000 Million Liter Daily (MLD) sewage treatment capacity was added compared to 981 MLD in the seven previous years.
Besides the fruitful and innovative implementation of Namami Gange, the award also recognised the successful implementation of the “Catch The Rain” campaign to harvest rainwater.
Other contributions of Kumar as mentioned in the citation included his imprint in many other sectors like water, sanitation, infrastructure, urban planning, civil aviation, power, sports, welfare, health, education and IT. It added that Kumar had completed many infrastructure projects like the 162 Kms 8 lane Outer Ring Road, 90 MGD Krishna Phase-2 Drinking Water project, 90 MGD Godavari Drinking Water Project and many Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs). The citation said that, Kumar, as Principal Secretary Welfare Dept was instrumental in starting 119 English medium residential schools in all the 119 Assembly segments.
Kumar as Project Director, APSACS ( Andhra Pradesh AIDS Control Society), had launched the “#BeBold” campaign in 2006-08 to reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV-AIDS and the “0/7“ initiative to reduce mother-to-child transmission. This was appreciated by UNAIDS as one of the best practices in the world to deal with HIV and its spread.
While serving in the central government as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Kumar was instrumental in setting up India’s Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau, headed a committee whose recommendations resulted in vastly improved facilities for passengers with reduced mobility and also played a key role in helping to revive the ailing aviation industry when it was going through a bad patch.
As director of the Ministry of Power, Kumar was in charge of R-APPRD programs to modernise power distribution entities and reduce their aggregate, commercial and technical losses and RGGVY, the program for rural electrification. He is also the founder president of the India Smart Grid Forum
In the water and sanitation sector, beginning with “Shubrata” Kumar’s initiative for the construction of over 1,40,000 individual sanitary latrines for households with people’s participation and about 3000+ toilets in 1000 schools in Nizamabad district in 2001-03 period when he worked as District Collector
As Additional Secretary and Mission Director of the National Water Mission, his innovative initiatives like the monthly “Water Talks” and “Water Tech Talks” drew over 2.5 million views.
National Water Mission under him was the chief implementing agency of the “Jal Shakthi Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” campaign, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modion World Water Day.
Kumar is the winner of many awards, including the “Jal-Mitra” award from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the first TEX (Telangana Excellence) Award of the Government of Telangana for “Outstanding work done in Public Administration”, the Skoch Award for “Public Service”.
Apart from overall infrastructure development, the official said the loan amount will be utilised for special training of the people engaged in the logistic sector….reports Asian Lite news
West Bengal government is taking a Rs 2,500 crore loan from the World Bank and the entire money will be utilised for the purpose of infrastructure development in the state.
Sources in the state finance department said the focus area of infrastructure development through utilisation of the loan amount will be improvement of road networks and water transport systems in the state.
“The government wants to emphasise on improving exports from the state in the next 10 years, for which it is necessary to develop a quick transit system. So, work on this count will stat before the forthcoming Bengal Global Business Summit scheduled in November this year,” said a senior official in the finance department.
Apart from overall infrastructure development, the official said the loan amount will be utilised for special training of the people engaged in the logistic sector.
The state government has already set a target for setting up four economic corridors covering an area of 930 km. Out of that, the longest corridor of 630 km will be in North Bengal and the remaining three will be in South Bengal.
“The development of these economic corridors will enable the state government to showcase Bengal in a better manner to the potential investors,” the official said.
Industry observers feel that while such initiatives are undoubtedly positive steps, no effort to attract big ticket investments will bear fruit unless the land and special economic zone policies of the state government are changed.
The delegates from G20 member countries will get an oppurtunity to discuss ways of reviving the tourism sector which got affected due to Coved pandemic, in a three-day meeting between April1-April 3…reports Asian Lite News
G20 delegates on Sunday danced during a cultural night and gala dinner at the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Siliguri.
Earlier on Sunday, delegates participated in a yoga session in Siliguri. On the second day of the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting, a Yoga session was organised for the delegates.
Around 130 members are attending the meeting. On the first day, G20 delegates also enjoyed tea plucking.
Darjeeling, the Queen of Himalayas and one of India’s leading tourist destinations, along with Siliguri, is located on the footholds of the Himalayas. It has been chosen to host the second Tourism Working meeting from April 1-3, 2023.
The delegates from G20 member countries will get an oppurtunity to discuss ways of reviving the tourism sector which got affected due to Coved pandemic, in a three-day meeting between April1-April 3.
On the first day event, the Chief-coordinator of the G-20 Harshvardhan Shringla said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed us to showcase India to the world as we are ready to host the G-20 summit in September this year. I recall him saying that, “each part of India has its own uniqueness, heritage, beauty and culture and that our G20 meetings should not be confined to the national capital, New Delhi, alone.” (ANI)
The bilateral phase will be more interesting when the aircraft will operate together, both in mock combat and joint operations,” a senior official said…reports Asian Lite News
F-16 fighter jets are skimming across the skies over West Bengal yet again after a break of nearly two years. These F-16s are of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) that have arrived at the Air Force Station Kalaikunda in the state for the 11th edition of Joint Military Training (JMT) with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
While RSAF has sent its F-16 jets, IAF is participating with Su-30 MKIs, Jaguars, Mig-29s and LCA Tejas. For now, both air forces are operating separately. The bilateral phase will commence from Wednesday when aircraft from both sides will engage in advanced air combat simulations. The bilateral phase will continue till November 18.
“This edition of JMT will last for six weeks. It will be yet another opportunity for authorities from Singapore to see the Tejas close up. Singapore is one of the countries that has expressed interest in the Tejas. The RSAF pilots are taking full opportunity of the firing and bombing ranges near Kalaikunda. The bilateral phase will be more interesting when the aircraft will operate together, both in mock combat and joint operations,” a senior official said.
An air base like Kalaikunda is extremely crucial for a country like Singapore that lacks space for exercises. AFS Kalaikunda offers an air-to-air firing range over the Bay of Bengal and a ground range at Dudhkundi. Both IAF and RSAF aircraft will fire air-to-air missiles, rockets and cannons at mock targets over the sea.
At Dudhkundi (a few km from Kalaikunda), they will be dropping bombs and firing air-to-ground missiles. There are facilities at Dudhkundi to check for accuracy.
Apart from the RSAF, AFS Kalaikunda has hosted the United States Air Force, Royal Air Force and French Air Force. Joint exercises with the air forces of friendly countries were not possible at Kalaikunda for two years due to the pandemic. Such exercises also do a lot for the local economy as the supply of commodities like foodstuff goes up and additional temporary manpower is required for non-core activities.
The southern outfit looked in control, though they did not have any real shot on goal to show for their effort, till West Bengal found the net against the run of play in the 16th minute…reports Asian Lite News
West Bengal punished pre-tournament favourites Kerala for their defensive lapses to clinch the men’s football gold medal with a 5-0 victory at the Eka Arena TransStadia here on Tuesday.
West Bengal skipper Naro Hari Shrestha scored a hattrick while Surajit Handsa and Amit Chakraborty chipped in with a goal each to help the former India striker Biswajit Bhattacharya-coached side take total control of the match before the end of the first half.
Kerala had come into the final with an all-win record in the group stage and a comfortable semifinal victory over Karnataka and started the summit clash with confidence.
The southern outfit looked in control, though they did not have any real shot on goal to show for their effort, till West Bengal found the net against the run of play in the 16th minute.
Kerala defender Sanju G. was guilty of not trapping the back pass and Surajit Handsa capitalised on the loose ball to take a shot from the right. Goalkeeper Midhun V. managed to block the low strike but Robi Handsa was in a position to tap in on the rebound.
Kerala then started exerting more pressure on the opposition half and had one of the best chances of the day three minutes later. Bengal goalkeeper Raja Burman’s clearance barely crossed the box and fell in Ajeesh P’s feet. But the midfielder couldn’t connect cleanly while trying to hit the ball on the first attempt.
Two minutes later, Bujair Valiyattu was then guilty of hitting the ball over the crossbar from inside the six-yard box after a melee at the goal line.
West Bengal captain Naro Hari Shrestha then added to Kerala’s misery when he quickly collected the ball bouncing off the Kerala wall and unleashed a scorcher from 25-yard to beat the Kerala custodian at the left corner.
At the stroke of half-time, Sanju once again was guilty of not trapping Surajit Hansda’s cross from the left despite no Bengal striker anywhere near him inside the box. Shrestha gleefully pounced on the error to virtually seal the fate of the match.
Shrestha completed his hat-trick with the easiest of headers in the 52nd minute after a West Bengal counterattack. Left-back Totan Das overlapped inside the Kerala box and chipped the ball over the goalkeeper for their unmarked skipper to nod it in, the organisers informed in a release on Tuesday.
Kerala had better possession thereafter but the West Bengal defence stood tall and did not allow their opponent’s put enough balls inside the box to create any quality scoring opportunities.
Defender Amit Chakraborty then rounded off the tally, finishing a short pass move from the midfield by placing the ball to the right of the advancing Kerala goalkeeper in the 85th minute.
In the bronze medal play-off, Services defeated Karnataka 4-0. Sunil B (2nd), N Sureh Metei (7th), Sreyas VG (13th) and Liton Shil (57th) scored for Services.
Result:
Final: West Bengal 5 (Robi Handsa 16th min, Naro Hari Shrestha 30th, 45+, 52nd, Amit Chakraborty 85th) bt Kerala 0
Bronze medal play-off: Service 4 (Sunil B 2nd, N Sureh Metei 7th, Sreyas VG 13th, Liton Shil 57th) bt Karnataka 0
As Trinamool Congress swept the bypolls for both Asansol Lok Sabha and Ballygunge assembly constituencies in West Bengal on Saturday, the massive decline in vote share for the BJP in both these seats have kept the saffron camp worried with just around two years left for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In the Ballygunge Assembly constituency, the BJP candidate, Keya Ghosh, finished third by managing only 12.8 per cent of the total votes polled.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP’s Loknath Chatterjee not only finished second, but also secured 20.50 per cent votes.
However, despite Trinamool’s Babul Supriyo winning from Ballygunge, the party will ponder over its declining vote share there.
Supriyo’s victory margin came down to just 20,2208 votes, from the massive victory margin of 75,359 when the party’s erstwhile legislator from Ballygunge, late Subrata Mukherjee, won in 2021.
This time, Trinamool’s vote percentage declined to 49.7 per cent from 70.60 per cent in 2021.
However, CPI(M) has something to cheer going by the votes it polled in the Ballygunge bypolls. The CPI(M) candidate, Saira Shah Halim, not only finished second, but also improved her party’s vote share to 30.1 per cent from just 5.51 per cent in 2021.
More than Ballygunge Assembly seat, the real frustration for the BJP has come from the results in the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency, from where the BJP candidate had won twice — in 2014 and 2019.
This time, Trinamool’s Shatrughan Sinha won by a massive margin of 3,03,209 votes, creating two records on behalf of his party.
Sinha is not only the first ever Trinamool Congress candidate to win from Asansol since the creation of this Lok Sabha constituency, his margin surpassed all past records from Asansol on this count.
The victory margin of Sinha is even more significant since in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the then BJP candidate, Babul Supriyo, won from Asansol by a margin of 1.97 lakh votes.
Political analysts believe that bagging a victory margin of over 3 lakh votes after covering up a past backlog of around 2 lakh votes is something quite rare.
The Asansol results show substantial improvement in Trinamool’s vote share against a landslide vote share decline for the BJP.
In Asansol, the Trinamool improved its vote share to 56 per cent from 35.19 per cent in 2019. On the other hand, BJP’s vote share declined to just 30 per cent this time from 51.16 per cent in 2019.
The CPI(M) managed 7.8 per cent vote share from Asansol this time, which is more or less the same the party had got in 2019 — 7 per cent.
The fact that the decline in vote share is a matter of concern for the BJP was indirectly accepted by the party’s defeated candidate from Asansol, Agnimitra Paul.
“Just two years are left for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party leadership should introspect the reasons behind this disaster and work accordingly. I do not want to give any excuse for my defeat. I accept the people’s verdict,” said Paul, who is already a sitting BJP legislator from Asansol (South) Assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Lok Sabha member from Bishnupur in Bankura district, Saumitra Khan, said that the ‘immature’ approach of the saffron leadership in West Bengal led to such a disaster.
After the victory in the bypolls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee indirectly hinted that playing a key role at the national level in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is her next target.
“I request the people of the country to have faith in us,” she said.
Political analysts believe that since the 2021 West Bengal Assembly pols, the erosion in vote share of the BJP has just aggravated and the erosion in the bypolls will send an alarming signal to the saffron camp.
“It seems that no strategy or line of campaigning is working in favour of the BJP. Remember, the bypolls happened in the backdrop of so many issues, such as the Bogtui massacre and the Hanskhali minor rape-muder case. But nothing worked for the BJP, which is officially the principal opposition party in the state now,” said political analyst, Nirmalya Banerjee.
The state government will have to take permission from the governor for the next session and it should begin with his speech, reports Asian Lite News
In an unprecedented move, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar prorogued the state Legislative Assembly from February 12, implying that the state government will have to take permission from the governor for the next session and it should begin with his speech.
“In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by sub-clause (a) of clause (2) of article 174 of the Constitution, I, Jagdeep Dhankhar, Governor of the State of West Bengal, hereby prorogue the West Bengal Legislative Assembly with effect from 12 February, 2022, the Governor in his order wrote.
Prorogation is discontinuing a session of Parliament or a legislative Assembly without dissolving it.
The prorogation order before the important budget session which is likely to commence from the end of February or early March is significant because the ruling party was mulling to bring motion against Governor Dhankhar during the upcoming session, accusing him of interfering in the day-to-today activities of the state government.
According to constitutional experts, there is no instance in recent history that a Governor proroguing a session of the Assembly without the consent of the Speaker of Assembly or the Chief Minister of the state.
The move came after on Friday, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray had submitted a Substantive Motion under Rule 170 in the Rajya Sabha, urging President Ram Nath Kovind to remove Jagdeep Dhankhar as West Bengal Governor.
“This is an unprecedented move. The Governor has overstepped his constitutional duties because there should be a gap of six months between two sessions of the state Assembly. No Governor of the country has ever done this before. Earlier, he was not giving his consent to several bills and now, he has prorogued the Assembly. This is completely unjust. The state government should move the court against this,” Trinamool Congress MP said.
According to political experts, the order of prorogation is a result of the prolonged conflict between Dhankhar and the state government where the governor has repeatedly alleged that his letters are not replied, his queries are not answered and his constitutional authority is continuously undermined by the Speaker and the state government.
The governor had also alleged that the bureaucracy, including the chief secretary and the DGP, had failed to present themselves despite several reminders.
The rift between the governor and the chief minister reached a flashpoint after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently blocked the Governor on Twitter for purportedly tagging her in all of his posts, criticising her administration. The Governor has been targeting the state government over a host of issues and seeking information and reports regarding appointments to various posts.
Defending the decision, Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said: “He has the power to do this and he has exercised his power. This has been done because of the misrule of the state government and the continuous defiant stance taken by the administration.”
This is what the book explores as it examines why the BJP lost the plot in West Bengal and what this means for the next General Elections,” says Ghosal…reports Asian Lite News.
In the West Bengal elections of 2021, the longest state polls in the history of India, Mamata Banerjee won the khela, and the BJP lost the plot. How did this happen?
Political journalist Jayanta Ghosal, travelled to all the districts of West Bengal and unearthed certain key factors that helped the Trinamool win the state that he records in “Mamata Beyond 2021” (HarperCollins).
For instance, there was a massive gap in the BJP’s understanding of Bengali identity, which Banerjee was able to exploit. An ‘overdose’ of central intervention, ranging from paramilitary forces to intelligence agencies to target key TMC leaders, added to the BJP’s disconnect with voters. Increasingly, the state felt the divide between New Delhi and Bengal grow.
The book details how Banerjee was successfully able to portray herself as the ‘daughter of Bengal’ who worked tirelessly for the stat’s poor and disadvantaged. It also asks the question: with the state elections under her belt, what will be Banerjee’s path to the General Elections of 2024? Does she consider herself a candidate for the Prime Minister’s post?
“Is Mamata now the No 2 political brand in the country? What is her roadmap for 2024? This is what the book explores as it examines why the BJP lost the plot in West Bengal and what this means for the next General Elections,” says Ghosal.
According to the translator, Arunava Sinha, “This book asks some of the most important questions that will affect all Indians in the next two years leading up to the elections. Most importantly, whether Mamata Banerjee will pay a decisive role”.
“Mamata Banerjee is one politician that everybody is watching and curious about. From her sensational 2021 Bengal assembly win to her plans for 2024, this book goes beyond the headlines to bring us the true story of what makes Mamata Banerjee a fierce political opponent to the BJP in today’s India,” says Swati Chopra, Executive Editor, HarperCollins India.
Jayanta Ghosal, born in 1962, has been a political journalist for the past four decades. He has worked for the Bengali newspapers Anandabazar Patrika and Bartaman, TV channels ABP News, India TV, and is now consulting editor, India Today group. Most of his life has been spent in newsrooms. A journalist, writer, teacher and speaker, he is a student of the history, politics, and culture of West Bengal and eastern India. He has authored several books in Bengali about the region and is also a biographer of Mamata Banerjee.
Arunava Sinha translates classic, modern and contemporary Bengali fiction and non-fiction from Bangladesh and India into English. He also translates fiction from English into Bengali. Over sixty-five of his translations have been published so far in India, the UK and the USA. His recent translations include “The Sickle” by Anita Agnihotri, “Khwabnama” by Akhtaruzzaman Elias, and “Imaan” by Manoranjan Byapari. He was born and grew up in Kolkata, and lives and writes in New Delhi. He teaches at Ashoka University.