Government rejects allegations of bias in MGNREGA fund release amid Opposition protest in Lok Sabha
NEW DELHI: The government on March 25 said it has never discriminated against any state in the release of MGNREGA funds amid a protest by opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha against the alleged delay in payment to some states for the rural employment scheme. As the issue was raised during the Question Hour, the Lok Sabha witnessed protests with DMK and Trinamool Congress MPs entering the well of the House. Speaker Om Birla urged them to return to their seats, but they did not budge. Following this, the House was adjourned till 12 pm. Birla urged the Opposition not to politicise the questions raised during the Question Hour. Congress MP from Kerala Adoor Prakash highlighted a decline in the MGNREGA workforce in his state and attributed it to delayed payments and low wages. Workers in Kerala have not received their wages for the past three months, and Rs 811 crore is due under the scheme. Lok Sabha extends tenure of 'One Nation One Election' committee The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has recommended linking MGNREGA wages to inflation and increasing the workdays to 150. Will the government release the pending amount without delay? Prakash posed. Minister of State for Rural Development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani refuted the claims of withholding funds, stating that Kerala has already received nearly Rs 3,000 crore this year. Last year, Kerala got Rs 3,500 crore. The release of payments is a continuous process, and whatever is pending will be cleared within the next few weeks, he assured the House. DMK MP Kanimozhi also raised concerns over the matter, saying Tamil Nadu had been waiting for Rs 4,034 crore in MGNREGA payments for the past five months. The scheme is demand-driven, and if payments are delayed by over 15 days, they must be paid with interest to workers. The Tamil Nadu chief minister has written to the prime minister, and we have met the minister who assured us that dues would be cleared. But we are still waiting, she said. Responding to the concerns, Pemmasani pointed out that the MGNREGA Act, enacted by the UPA government, stipulates that delays beyond 15 days incur a penalty of 0.05 per cent interest. According to the law, if there is a delay, the state government initially pays the amount and the central government reimburses it. Tamil Nadu has already received Rs 7,300 crore. With a population of seven crore, Tamil Nadu receives over Rs 10,000 crore, comparable to Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of 20 crore. There is no question of bias, the minister said. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also defended the government, saying, Be it Tamil Nadu or West Bengal, the Modi government has never discriminated against any state. The pending MGNREGA dues, including material costs, will be released soon. Under UPA, from 2006-07 to 2013-14, only Rs 111 crore was allocated for person-days in West Bengal, while under the NDA, we have created 239 crore person-days and allocated Rs 54,515 crore, the agriculture minister said.
Vi signs MoU with West Bengal govt to offer digital advisory services to MSMEs
Vi Business will provide Ready For Next digital assessment tool, educational content, and conduct training for MSMEs in the State
West Bengal BJP Says 'Hindu, Hindu Speaking Voters Name Removed From West Bengals Poll Rolls
| West Bengal BJP Says 'Hindu, Hindu Speaking Voters Name Removed From West Bengals Poll RollsSukanta Raised Issue With Home Minister Amit Shah n18oc_indiaNews18 Mobile App - https://onelink.to/desc-youtube
Lok Sabha adjourned briefly amid opposition uproar over MGNREGA dues for TN, Kerala, Bengal
NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha was adjourned briefly on Tuesday amid uproar by opposition members over MGNREGA dues for Tamil Nadu and other states. The opposition MPs were dissatisfied with Minister of State for Rural Developement Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani's response related to clearing of MGNREGA dues for Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal. The DMK members entered the well of the House, followed by some Trinamool Congress MP. Speaker Om Birla urged them to go back to their seats but when they did not comply, the House was adjourned till 12 pm.
Mamata Banerjee jogs in saree at London's Hyde Park; Watch video here
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was seen jogging in London's Hyde Park in a saree and slippers during her visit to the UK to seek investments for the state. She is scheduled to deliver a lecture at Oxford University on March 27 and will meet industrialists on March 25.
NKDA outreach camps net Rs 83 lakh in property tax, mutation fees
NKDA collected Rs 83 lakh from property tax and mutation fees in the last three months through outreach camps in New Town. Camps were held at housing complexes like Sukhobristi and Rosedale. They submitted 75 property tax assessments and 101 mutation applications. More camps will be held soon, including for commercial units.
Cams reveal stable Sundarbans big cat count, click small cats in action
Camera traps in the Indian Sundarbans have captured evidence of young tigers' survival and integration into the population, indicating a healthy habitat. The tiger density is close to the area's carrying capacity, with recent assessments collecting extensive photographic evidence, including rare images of fishing cats with prey.
Eighteen-year-old Rituparno Pakhira was taken into police custody for invading the pitch at Eden Gardens to touch cricketer Virat Kohli's feet. Despite the consequences, including a ban from the stadium, he expressed no regret, considering it a fulfillment of his lifelong dream to meet his idol.
Cops rescue 87 cattle, nab seven smugglers
BALASORE: Police teams from Mayurbhanj and Balasore arrested seven persons on charges of illegal cattle transportation through different routes from Odisha to West Bengal on Sunday. A total of 87 cattle were rescued and six vehicles seized during the operation. The police crackdown followed complaints from various from social organisations about widespread illegal cattle smuggling in Odisha and its adjoining states to West Bengal through national and state highways, as well as district routes. Eastern range DIG Satyajit Nayak said, the highest number of cases on a single day was reported from Mayurbhanj where five cases were registered and as many persons arrested. From four vehicles seized from their possession, 75 cattle were rescued. In Balasore, two cases were registered against two persons and 12 cattle rescued. All rescued cattle were sent to caring centres. Nayak said the police is committed to enforcing laws and protecting animal welfare. He said strong action against those involved in illegal cattle transportation would continue.
LSE invite, London walk before start of tours biz end
Apollo Healthco Ltd to expand pharmacy network in Bengal
Pushback of New Market hawkers likely after Eid
Kolkata airport begins trials at new air traffic control tower
Dominant Guha bags National Blitz title
Airport kicks off two-hour trials at new ATC tower
Docs, nurses march for justice
PCB catches them young at nature camp
Film preview comeback at Radha Studio
No parking: Army queers Maidan pitch for IPL fans
Be transparent with hosp bills, counsel patients if amounts rise: Health panel
West Bengal Disciplinary Committee of the Assembly to question Trinamool MLAs over absence
The West Bengal Disciplinary Committee is set to seek clarification from Trinamool MLAs who were absent during the party's Budget session on March 19 and 20, despite a 'three-line' whip. The MLAs will be called personally to explain their absences, as this is considered a breach of party discipline.
Auto-rickshaw driver arrested for allegedly harassing minor in Kolkata.
Man loses eye after cycle parking dispute
E-tail delivery personnel lay siege to New Town complex after parking row
Bengali teacher dies of cardiac arrest while evaluating ICSE answer scripts in Kolkata
Cop, student killed in East Midnapore highway crash
HC extends Bhadras conditional bail till April-end
Never dreamt of being a judge, says Justice Tandon at farewell
Retirement as egg prof due on March 31, JU VC writes to Bikash Bhavan
WBCUPA demands CCTV cams on JU campuses, at hostels
RG Kar case: Calcutta HC tells CBI to probe gangrape angle, present case diary
The Calcutta high court directed the CBI to present the case diary of the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital, considering the possibility of gang rape or evidence destruction. The victim's parents sought further investigation into a larger conspiracy. The court awaits the CBIs status report and clarifications on multiple suspects.
Bengal school job case: Calcutta HC extends Sujay Bhadra's interim bail period
A division bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Monday, extended the interim bail period for Sujay Krishna Bhadra, one of the prime accused in the cash-for-school job case in West Bengal, till April 22.
Security alert in Bengal's Murshidabad after intel input on Bangladesh's JMB, HUT
Intelligence agencies, both central and state, have been put on high alert in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, especially in the villages close to the international border, following inputs on fresh attempts by Bangladesh-based underground outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HUT) trying to infiltrate.
Nagaland Lottery Result March 24: These Legal States are Nagaland, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, Manipur, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Assam.
CPI(M) West Bengal's change to blue and white on its Facebook display picture drew criticism for adopting colours associated with rival Mamata Banerjee. Party leader Samik Lahiri dismissed the concerns, stating it was a routine update. The CPI(M) is preparing for a major rally in Kolkata on April 20.
Govt staff, teachers stage hunger strike demand reverting to old pension scheme
CHENNAI: The state government employees and teachers who are members of JACTTO-GEO staged a hunger strike at all district headquarters across Tamil Nadu on Sunday, pressing for their 10-point charter of demands, which included reverting to the old pension scheme (OPS) instead of the contributory pension scheme (CPS). In Chennai, government employees and teachers were on hunger strike in Ezhilagam. Talking to reporters, office-bearers of the JACTTO-GEO (Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisation) said that the state government should make announcements about fulfilling the demands of the government employees by April 30 when the ongoing session of the state Assembly comes to an end. Otherwise, the government employees will decide their future course of action, they said. Asked whether the JACTTO-GEO office-bearers still have the confidence that the government would fulfil their demands as four years have passed since the present government assumed office, the office-bearers said, In the past, 1.76 lakh government employees were dismissed in one go. But now the situation is not that worse. This government is saying that our demands will be considered. We still have hope. But we will not give up our protests until our demands are accepted. The office-bearers held discussions with Chief Minister MK Stalin on March 13 and expressed confidence that their demands would be met soon. However, they expressed disappointment when they could not find any announcement regarding their primary demand to revert to the old pension scheme in the budget session. Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, however, made certain announcements, including restoration of leave encashment. Meanwhile, the long-time struggle of the JACTTO-GEO received support from the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam led by actor Vijay. Expressing his full support to the demands of the government employees and teachers, Vijay, in a statement here, said the DMK had failed to fulfil its electoral promise of reverting to the old pension scheme. Due to the deceitful action of the DMK government, the employees and teachers were forced to stage protests on their holiday (Sunday). This shows that the DMK government does not regard their protest as a matter of concern, he added. Vijay also said Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have already reverted to the old pension scheme, and recently Karnataka also announced that it would bring back the old pension scheme soon. But why is the DMK government, which claims to be a pioneer on many initiatives, turning Nelsons eye to the vital demand of its employees in reverting to the old pension scheme? he asked.
Patna Diary | Muslim groups boycott Iftar party over CM Nitish's support of Waqf Bill
Perhaps for the first time in his political career, Nitish Kumar faced flak from Muslim organisations; Imarat Shariah declined the Bihar CMs invitation for an Iftar party hosted by the state at the CMs 1, Anne Marg residence on Sunday, citing his support to the Wafq (Amendment) Bill as reason. Accusing Nitish of failure to keep his promise to protect rights of Muslims, Imarat Shariah said with JD(U) lending support to Wafq Bill, Nitish no longer remains a secular leader: This development may come as a rude shock to the JD(U) ahead of the Assembly elections due in October-November. BJP eyes 3 crore Bihar migrant workers Celebrating Bihar foundation on March 22 every year is not new. However, for the first time, the BJP decided to celebrate the states foundation day outside Bihar apparently to woo the nearly three crore Bihari migrant workers ahead of state assembly polls. To that effect, week-long functions are being held at 75 locations across the country. As a major chunk of Bihar migrants live in Delhi, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal, Haryana and Assam, BJP is organising a host of events as part of the week-long Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Sneh Milan to gain traction among these people. Govenrment expresses concern over Bhatinda violence The Bihar government has taken a strong exception to the incident in Punjabs Bhatinda where students from the state were attacked recently. Bihar chief secretary Amreet Lal Meena spoke to his Punjab counterpart over reports of an attack on students from Bihar at a private university in Bhatinda. Meena said he spoke to Punjab chief secretary over the issue, saying the latter has assured the situation was under control and a strict vigil is being maintained by the concerned authorities. DyCM Samrat Chaudhary demanded the Punjab government provide adequate security to Bihar students. However, attack on native students at a distant state has left Bihar in shock. Ramashankar Our correspondent in Bihar ramashankar@newindianexpress.com
Forging relationships with Nepal, Indian army eye surgeons restore vision of Himalayan elderly
A group of Indian army eye surgeons restored the vision of 29 Nepal nationals and conducted 354 surgical procedures during a mega eye camp at 158 Base Hospital near Bagdogra airport. The team included renowned ophthalmologists who performed surgeries for cataract and glaucoma, assisting patients from Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Nepal.
Red out, blue-white in: CPM social media DP changes hue
Bengal to get its longest riverbank wall to battle Ghatal flood scourge
CM lands in London, holds prep meetings
North Dum Dum Municipalitys sole CPM councillor joins TMC
HMC restores water supply to north Howrah, parts of Liluah
Rheas Purulia village hails clean chit to actor in Sushant Singh Rajput death case
New ATC tower at airport to start live trial today, function for 2 hours every weekday
KMDA to assess Chiria More ramp proposal for new Chitpore ROB
Sealdah station gets new access gates for better crowd mgmt
Dry days ahead, mercury likely to rise: Met
Over 50 affected by water contamination in Kamarhati
HS council changes English texts after too-complex-for-high-schoolers feedback
Hawkers make merry in run-up to festive season
37.6% car owners in city keep their vehicles parked on roads
130+ birders get recorders out on Dawn Chorus Day
Missing Mum engineer found in Kol after 6 yrs
Before Ram Navami, police check eye health of CCTV cams across Kol
Hwh dumpyard cannot take any more waste: Experts
Drug seizure: Trial courts can rely on charge sheet in absence of chem reports
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari calls for Hindu unity ahead of 2026 Bengal polls to dismantle TMC govt
Suvendu Adhikari led a 'sanatani' solidarity rally in Haldia, supported by BJP activists, to unite Hindus and challenge Mamata Banerjee's TMC government. This follows demands for consequences against alleged jihadi attacks on Hindus. Adhikari accused the TMC of appeasement policies and criticized the government for economic issues and public safety concerns in West Bengal.
According to The Ministry of Home Affairs response to a question by member of Lok Sabha Khalilur Rahman, the seizure of contraband items from the India-Bangladesh border has steadily been on the rise
Ram Navami procession routes in Kolkata to be monitored by CCTVs
Ram Navami procession routes in Kolkata to be monitored by CCTVs Kolkata: Amid experiences of clashes in different pockets in West Bengal over Ram Navami processions in the past, Kolkata Police have decided to bring the routes this year on April 6 under blanket CCTV coverage. Accordingly, communication has reached from the city police headquarters [] The post Ram Navami procession routes in Kolkata to be monitored by CCTVs appeared first on Mangalorean.com .
Delhi Police busts sex racket in Paharganj; 23 rescued, 7 held
The Delhi Police have dismantled a sex trafficking ring in Paharganj, rescuing 23 women, including three minors and 10 Nepalese citizens. Seven human traffickers were arrested, and victims were lured from West Bengal, Nepal, and other states before being forced into prostitution.
Doctors' study red-flags antibiotic use in footballers
A study in Bengal Medical Journal reveals alarming antibiotic misuse among footballers in eastern India, with high-risk antibiotics often used without prescriptions. Experts warn this risky behavior can escalate antimicrobial resistance. The study calls for increased awareness, regulations, and medical oversight in sports communities.
'In people's perception, confidence in judicial system on decline': Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal
NEW DELHI: Asserting that the confidence in the judicial system seems to be on the decline in people's perception, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has said alternatives can only be found when both the government and the judiciary accept that the systems in place, including for judges' appointments, are not working. In an interview with PTI , Sibal talked about what ails the judicial system, citing examples of how bail is not being granted in most cases by district and sessions courts, and highlighted the issue of the controversial speech made by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court last year. Sibal, speaking as a lawyer and not as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, refrained from commenting on the matter of the alleged discovery of a huge stash of cash at the residence of Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma. There is an in-house procedure to deal with the matter. Now, in the absence of facts I don't think as a responsible citizen of this country I should be commenting on this, he said on the matter. Sibal made the remarks on Saturday before the Supreme Court made the in-house inquiry report in the matter public. Asked if he has concerns about the judicial system at large, Sibal said, What has been happening over several years is that there have been concerns about the judiciary on various aspects, one is the concern about corruption, and corruption has several meanings. One meaning is that a judge renders a judgement because of some pecuniary advantage. The other form of corruption is to work contrary to his oath of office which is that he would render judgements without fear or favour. I will give an example, there is hardly a judge in a district court and the sessions court who grants bail. Now it can't be that in every case, the magistrates court or the sessions court has to reject bail. In 90 to 95 per cent of the cases, bail is rejected, Sibal said, adding that there is something wrong with the system. Is the judge afraid that if he or she grants bail, what will be the impact of that on the career, the senior advocate asked. Sibal said the third form is that the judges are now openly endorsing a majoritarian culture and taking political positions. We had a judge in West Bengal who was openly endorsing the views of a political party and then of course he resigned and joined that particular party. We had a judge who openly said 'yes I belong to the RSS'. We have justice Shekhar (Yadav) who said that in India the 'majoritarian culture must prevail and only a Hindu can make India 'vishwaguru'. He used some very derogatory terms for the minority community while sitting as the judge, Sibal said. Talking about Yadav's case, Sibal said an in-house procedure was decided upon but nothing was heard after that. What happened, what steps were taken, there was a communication to the judge, he apparently disclosed his mind to the in-house procedure. What happened, we don't know. Should it be made public or not? There are systems that have to be put in place, he said. Addressing a provincial convention of the legal cell and high court unit of the VHP at the high court on December 8 last year, Justice Yadav had made controversial remarks. Speaking with PTI , Sibal said there are issues of corruption, of judges not performing functions according to their oath of office, of openly taking majoritarian positions, thereby inducing in the minds of the public the message that the majoritarian culture must be endorsed. These are things that need to be addressed urgently. Unfortunately, in many of these cases, the Supreme Court has not directly addressed these issues for reasons I cannot possibly fathom, Sibal said. What is the mechanism to deal with corruption, he asked and added that the only mechanism that is there as far as the higher judiciary is concerned is Article 124 of the Constitution. We moved an impeachment motion, signed by more than 50 members of the Rajya Sabha, and that has not seen the light of the day. There was earlier an impeachment motion against a CJI, that too was blocked. So if you cannot move forward under the constitutional process and there is no alternative effective mechanism to deal with such issues, where do we go? the Rajya Sabha MP said. That is the question we must ask ourselves and that is the question the judiciary must ask itself, Sibal added. He said the perception of the public certainly is that the confidence that we had in the judicial system seems to be on the decline. Asked about his criticism of the Collegium system in appointing judges in the higher judiciary and what is the alternative, Sibal said that alternative can only be found if the judiciary and the government believe that there should be an alternative. Now the government believes that the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) is the solution. The Supreme Court Collegium believes that theirs is the best system. Unless both these institutions accept the fact that both versions of accountability and the process of appointment are grossly inadequate, only then can we have an alternative, Sibal said. The senior advocate said there can only be a solution when one states that there is a problem. So, if the Supreme Court itself realises that the Collegium system is not functioning in the manner that it should, only then can there be alternatives. Then we can come forward and suggest what the alternatives should be, he said. If the government believes that the NJAC is not the ideal solution for the process of appointment, only then there can be an alternative, he said, pointing out that the process should be transparent, looking at merit and not favouring persons who are ideologically and deeply committed. So, both institutionally, the government and the judiciary, must accept the fact that these systems that are in place are not working, once they accept that, there are a lot of solutions that are possible, the former minister said.
Population cant be sole criteria for delimitation, asserts BJD president Naveen Patnaik
BHUBANESWAR: BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday voiced concerns over population being made the sole criteria for delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies, and called upon the Union government to clear all doubts on the exercise through thorough discussions with all parties. Even as he had deputed two senior party leaders Sanjay Das Burma and Amar Patnaik to attend the joint action committee (JAC) meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai, Naveen chose to take part in it virtually from Bhubaneswar. Addressing the JAC, Naveen said the meeting was important to uphold democracy, particularly in context of representation and rights of people living in states that have done very well in controlling and stabilising the population. He asserted that his party will take all possible measures to protect the interests of the people of Odisha. Emphasising that population control is an important national agenda that directly contributes to the countrys development, the former chief minister said states also took their own initiatives and successfully implemented the national agenda. #WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: At the meeting on delimitation, former Odisha CM and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik says, ...This is an important meeting to ensure democratic representation and rights of people living in states that have done very well to control and stabilise pic.twitter.com/74iMO3UY4z ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2025 BJD will do everything to protect the interests of Odisha: Naveen States of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab and Odisha have been very successful in population control. Had these states not achieved what they did in stabilising population, India would have had a population explosion today derailing our developmental progress. It will be unfair to these states if delimitation is based only on population figures, Patnaik said. He said states like Odisha who have made significant strides in population control after years of persistent efforts should not be penalised for performing well on a national priority. If projected population figures of 2026 are taken, we will end up losing seats in the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly. Biju Janata Dal will do everything to protect the interests of the people of Odisha, he said. I suggest the Union government take up a detailed discussion with all the parties so as to remove any doubts on this very important issue that has far reaching implications for our democracy, Patnaik said and thanked Stalin for organising the meeting.
Dont need a party, says Dilip, promises to thrash anyone rude to him
WBBSE told to issue notices against 3 teachers
3 held for raping woman inside car in Debra
1 dead, 10 critical as vehicle falls into gorge
Times have changed, but cinema will never die
Shah Kol visit deferred due to Parl session
Efforts on to clear 100-day work dues in 3 days: Mayor
2 hours of clean-up net 162 kg waste from Ganga
KMC finishes Baghajatin, Tangra tilted bldgs work
MNC man crushed under dumper in 5th fatal crash on Jessore Rd in a month
10-yr RI for animal lovers murder
2 on scooter snatch 5 mobiles in 6 hrs, held
Cop trying to pacify fight over property attacked, 2 arrested
Season-opener: KKR loss tinges rain relief, King Kohli victory
Water restored in Shibpur & central Hwh, north still suffers
52km canal work cuts New Town dengue cases by 90%
Christians in city observe Lent with prayer, sacrifice & service
Mayor lens on plastic in Burrabazar
