West Bengal

Miscommunication with WB government removed: GJM

Kolkata: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Friday said the recent visit of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Darjeeling has removed the "miscommunication" between the West Bengal government and the party. GJM leader Harka Bahadur Chhetri said, "There was a miscommunication with the the state...the problem is over now with her (Mamata) recent visit to the Darjeeling hills for development work for the people there." Blaming a section of the people...  

News 360: 2 more RR players under the radar over spot-fixing

Sources said that one of the two players is an Indian while the other is an international player. ...

Parl panel for single regulator to monitor chit fund schemes

New Delhi: Against the backdrop of recent chit fund controversy in West Bengal, a Parliamentary committee on Friday slammed such schemes with demands for putting in place a single regulator to oversee their functioning or scrapping them altogether. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance closely scrutinised the functioning of such schemes which recently led to a series of suicides in West Bengal. Senior officials from RBI, CBDT, SEBI, Corporate Affairs...  

WB Panchayat polls to be held on July 2, 6 and 10

Kolkata: The West Bengal Election Commission on Friday announced dates for the Panchayat elections in the state. The elections will be held in three phases on July 2, 6 and 10. The results will be announced three days later. The state government's demand for a two-phase polling was earlier shot down by the Calcutta High Court. The state election commission though said that the court order was not clear on...  

WB: Student dies after teacher bangs his head against the wall

Kolkata: Alleged corporal punishment left an 8-year-old dead in South 24 Parganas in West Bengal. The student died after his head was allegedly banged against the wall by a teacher. The incident happened at the Nirdeshkhali school at Basanti in South 24 Parganas. The child was beaten up on May 15 as a punishment for throwing bags across the classroom during the class. The accused teacher has been arrested. More...  

West Bengal government achieves 7.6 per cent GDP growth

Kolkata: The West Bengal government achieved 7.6 per cent growth in GDP compared to the national average of 4.96 per cent during the last financial year. In industry, the growth rate was 6.24 per cent against the national average of 3.12 per cent, Finance Minister Amit Mitra claimed while releasing three books on the completion of two years rule of Mamata Banerjee-led government on Thursday. In agriculture, the state recorded...  

WB: Mamata govt releases performance report on 2 years rule

Kolkata: West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee led government on Thursday released a performance report, claiming the state has clocked a growth rate higher than that of the overall country during the nearly two years it has been in power. The performance report showcasing the achievements of the state government was released at the state secretariat, four days before the regime completes two years in office. Making public the report titled "Powering...  

WB panchayat polls: Differences between govt, EC continues

Kolkata: There were differences at a meeting on Thursday between the State Election Commission (SEC) and the West Bengal government over fixing dates for the three-tier panchayat elections after the Calcutta High Court's direction that the two mutually agree on it. "We suggested certain dates and they (state government) also placed some dates for the panchayat election to be held in three phases as per the High Court order," State...  

Chit fund scam: Sudipta Sen opposes CBI probe

Kolkata: Saradha group chairman Sudipta Sen, who has been accused of cheating lakhs of investors of their money running into thousands of crores, on Wednesday opposed a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the complaints against him and his companies in an affidavit filed before the Calcutta High Court. He claimed before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi that the Special Investigation Team...  

Cyclonic storm Mahasen moves eastwards

Kolkata: Cyclonic storm 'Mahasen,' which lay over west-central Bay of Bengal, has moved eastwards and is now about 730 kms south-southwest of Kolkata, according to the regional meteorological centre here. The system is now located in the west-central bay and is likely to intensify further, move in northeast direction and cross the Bangladesh coast close to Chittagong on Thursday night, it said. Under its impact, rain or thundershower may occur...  

WB panchayat polls: Govt, EC likely to meet on Thursday

Kolkata: A day after the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government and the State Election Commission to mutually decide on dates for the panchayat election, a move has been initiated by both to hold a meeting on Thursday. The meeting will take place amidst a deadline set by the High Court to complete the poll process by July 15. SEC secretary Tapas Roy told reporters that the meeting...  

WB: Indian Army's first woman jawan found dead

Kolkata: Indian Army's first woman jawan (personnel) Shanti Tigga was found hanging in a railway hospital in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday, police said. A senior police officer said prima facie it appeared to be a case of suicide. The 37-year-old Tigga's body was found in the toilet of a cabin at the Alipurduar Railway Hospital. Tigga, attached to the 969 Railway Engineer Regiment of the Territorial Army and...  

WB govt hails HC order on panchayat elections

Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Tuesday hailed the Calcutta High Court order on panchayat elections as "historic." "This is a historic order of the hon'ble High Court and we are very happy," state panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said. A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday rejected the State Election Commission (SEC) order for 800 companies of central forces to man the panchayat polls, and directed that...  

I choose my roles by the importance of the character: Rajesh Sharma

Critically acclaimed actor Rajesh Sharma, who has acted in films such as "Maachis", "Ishqiya", "No One Killed Jessica", "The Dirty Picture" and "Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana", joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on his future projects and his experience of acting in the Bengali film "Kagojer Nouka (Paper Boat)" which is based on the chit fund bust in eastern India. Q. Will this movie have English subtitle..for those who...  

WB: 3 coaches of Haldibari Express get derailed

Kolkata: Three coaches of the Haldibari Express on Tuesday got derailed between Nalhati and Chatra. There was, however, no injury to any passenger, a railway spokesman said. The train was running from Kolkata to Haldibari in north Bengal. The railway has opened a helpline at Sealdah station whose number is 23503537 and two in Kolkata station with numbers 23503076 and 27050307. (With Additional Inputs From PTI) ...  

Paramilitary forces during WB Panchayat polls not necessary: HC

Kolkata: In a breather for the Mamata Banerjee government, the division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday said that it is not mandatory to deploy central paramilitary forces for the upcoming Panchayat polls. The West Bengal government had appealed the higher bench after a single bench upheld the State Election Commission's plea for three-phase polling and deployment of central forces. The State government wanted two-phase polling and security...  

WB govt-owned theatre refuses to screen 'Kagojer Nouka'

Kolkata: A West Bengal government owned film centre in Kolkata has reportedly refused to screen a movie on the chit fund scam. State-owned Nandan film centre says it will not screen the movie 'Kagojer Nouka' (which means Paper boat). The movie's director has alleged that the cinema hall authorities have not previewed the film despite submitting documents well in advance. The film has also not found any takers among multi-plexes...  

WB chit fund scam: What forces people to invest in ponzi schemes?

Kolkata: As the Calcutta High Court begins hearing pleas seeking a CBI probe into the Sharada group chit fund scam on Tuesday, CNN-IBN has found that it is unemployment and stunted industrial and agricultural growth in the state that is forcing people to invest in ponzi schemes. Seventy-year-old Sunil Sarkar recounts how he found his son Jayanta Sarkar's body at the terrace hanging by a rope. Jayanta, who was allegedly...  

WB: Court asks SEC to identify sensitive poll booths

Kolkata: Hearing will continue on Tuesday in the Calcutta High Court on the standoff between West Bengal government and the state Election Commission (EC) over panchayat elections. On Monday, the WB government filed a fresh appeal to a higher bench against the old judgement of the Single bench in favour of the EC. The court directed the state poll panel to make a proper assessment over need for security for...  

Double whammy for Mamata Banerjee government in court

Kolkata: Delivering a double blow to West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government, the Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered CBI probe into a Trinamool Congress worker's death allegedly in police custody and refused to suspend its earlier verdict upholding the primacy of the State Election Commission. A division bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice JM Bagchi took the twin decisions hearing separate cases within a gap of hours in...