Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

Assam, Bengal tea industry stares at losses due to Covid-19 lockdown

Tea is among the biggest and most labour-intensive industries in both West Bengal and Assam. Assam, which accounts for more than half of the country’s tea output, employs about one million people in the plantation sector and has about 800 gardens.

Data on Bengal’s Covid-19 cases appears opaque, raises questions

The government had said on Monday it will consult an expert committee of doctors before linking any fatality to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), after allegations that it was suppressing information about the deadly infection.

Battle against Covid-19 takes political turn in Bengal as BJP, TMC trade barbs

Over the past one week, senior BJP leaders, including state president Dilip Ghosh, union minister Babul Supriyo, Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta and BJP’s IT cell’s national head Amit Malviya took to social media to criticize the Mamata Banerjee-led government on a range of issues, including politicizing relief work.

Bengal jute mills, tea gardens to remain shut till lockdown

The governments of Punjab and Telangana and the Food Corporation of India had written to the Union government that a shortage of jute sacks may hit procurement of farmers’ produce.

Bengal undecided on allowing jute mills to operate

In Bengal, 32 arrested in 7 days for spreading fake news amid lockdown

West Bengal Police, which looks after the districts except for Kolkata, made 30 arrests. Two women were arrested by the Kolkata Police. Those arrested include homemakers, students, school teachers, government employees and traders.

Three Covid-19 patients in Bengal without travel history trigger concerns

Reports of more patients being tested positive with COVID-19 in West Bengal have poured in since Monday night but the state government is yet to release any official figures after Monday afternoon. According to the last bulletin issued by the state on Monday, at least 22 cases have been detected and the total death toll was two.

In Bengal, BJP lashes out at Mamata Banerjee for politicising relief work

Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta, and union minister Babul Supriyo lashed out at chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, on Sunday and Monday for using social media platforms for highlighting herself and her party in an hour of national crisis.

Trinamool Congress uses Covid-19 lockdown to reverse electoral fortunes

The crisis over Covid-19 has offered the state administration an opportunity to reach out to the common people and Mamata has earned praise for her response.

A marriage ceremony that turned into a Covid-19 hotspot in Bengal

Health officials are worried because of the large number of people who attended the marriage ceremony after which three persons have tested positive for coronavirus.

Coronavirus update: Concerns over superspreaders rise as many breach quarantine

In Maharashtra’s Sangli, four members of a family, who have tested Covid-19 positive, had returned from Saudi Arabia on March 14 and mingled with other people for the four days in absence of instructions for home quarantine.

Covid-19: Woman told to self-quarantine takes Delhi-Kolkata Rajdhani; tests positive

A senior health department staff said many of their neighbours at Tehatta took the nine-month-old baby in their lap.

Padma Shri lensman, Satyajit Ray’s ‘official photographer Nemai Ghosh passes away

Nemai Ghosh, whose camera chronicled an important part of Ray’s life, has several books on photography and a memoir of Ray to his credit. His works have been exhibited in India and abroad, and are also in the collection of National Gallery of Modern Art.

Despite lockdown, about 200 tea gardens open in north Bengal

Sprawling across the districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduars, the belt has another 40,000 small growers who employ one lakh labourers. Most of these gardens operated on Tuesday.

Coronavirus: Platforms empty, only 10 trains arrive at India’s busiest railway station

Even as the ministry of railways has cancelled all passenger trains until March 31, Howrah station, which caters to the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah, was deserted before closing down for the next one week amid the coronavirus outbreak.

‘Stop all flights to Kolkata’: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee writes to PM Modi to stop coronavirus spread

In her letter to PM Modi, Bengal chief minister said the state has announced Critical Safety Regulation measures which will come into effect from 5pm on Monday, closing down all establishments except for those in essential services and prohibiting any gathering of more than seven persons.

On Janta Curfew day, Bengal govt wants all teachers in schools

Teachers have been asked to come to schools on Saturday and Sunday to make arrangements for home distribution of mid-day meal.

Bengal woman held for LeT links was trying to honey-trap soldiers, suspect police

The Hafiz Saeed-led organisation, responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, is one of the deadliest anti-India terror groups.

‘We are campaigning for civic polls because of more dangerous virus’: Bengal BJP leader amid coronavirus scare

The parties in West Bengal want civic polls deferred.An all-party meeting is scheduled at the state election commission’s office on Monday.

Bengali internet star booked for ‘vulgar’ distortion of Tagore’s songs

Roddur Roy has been making parodies of popular Tagore songs for quite a few years but the distorted version of the iconic romantic song ‘Sedin Dujone Dulechhinu Boney’ started getting noticed since November last year for the wrong reasons.

TMC on course correction drive in Bengal with multi-pronged approach

The course correction drive has four aspects --- a ‘constituency-specific approach’, a three-tier system of surveillance on party leaders and the administration to check malpractices and highhandedness, avoiding unnecessary confrontation with the Centre and targeting deprived socio-economic groups that have voted for the BJP in the last Lok Sabha polls.

‘Please rescue us’: Indians stuck in coronavirus-hit Iran plead in video message

“None moving out of home unless absolutely necessary,” says Kolkata youth stuck near Tehran along with 10 other Indian engineers .

Mamata takes on BJP, says ‘genocide’ in Delhi

Mamata takes a dig at BJP for Delhi riots, ‘goli maaro’ slogan; BJP hits back

Responding to Banerjee’s tirade against them, Bengal BJP unit president Dilip Ghosh labelled Banerjee’s “planned genocide” remark as “irresponsible for a chief minister”.

Opposition misguiding refugees, minorities over CAA: Shah

Addressing a public rally in Kolkata, he also launched the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s campaign for the West Bengal assembly election next year, exuding confidence that his party will win with a two-thirds majority.

Only Modi can make Sonar Bangla,’ Shah tells voters, launches BJP campaign

Amit Shah accused the Bengal government of depriving the people by disallowing the Centre from implementing its pro-people projects

Kolkata braces for stir ahead of Amit Shah’s CAA rally

The administration is expecting a situation similar to that in January when protesters brought the city to a standstill during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.

Kolkata braces for protests on March 1 over Amit Shah’s pro-CAA rally

Most of these programmes are around Esplanade. The venue of Shah’s rally, too, is near Esplanade, the heart of Kolkata.

Bengal BJP will not give up NRC demand, says Dilip Ghosh

Ghosh was confident that the TMC’s high-voltage campaign on NRC and Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) will boomerang.

Lack of funds could delay salary: Visva Bharati

The university has about 400 faculty members, apart from 150 teachers in its school, Patha Bhavana, apart from more than 600 non-teaching staff.