At least seven people were killed and several others injured in clashes between supporters of the Communist Party of India Marxist and Congress supporters in Murshidabad and Birbhum districts, as polling for the third and final phase of the Panchayat elections was underway in seven districts of West Bengal on Sunday. Altogether 62 persons were arrested in Murshidabad district, the stronghold of the Congress.Following violence in the second phase, security has been beefed up
A new World Bank-IMF Report says India has achieved significant levels of poverty reduction as a result of high GDP growth of about nine per cent, but regretted serious shortfalls in achieving other Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) like child nutrition and health. Entitled 'Global Monitoring Report 2008,' the report's theme was 'MDGs and the Environment: Agenda for inclusive and sustainable development.' South Asia nations may fall short of the MDGs, says the report.
FM P Chidambaram is expected to address the IMF-WB's spring meeting on April 12 & 13 that is likely to be dominated by the impact of US recession, global inflation & consequent credit crunch leading to global economic slowdown. He is expected to take up India's concerns of rising global food & commodity prices, besides spiraling crude oil prices in the backdrop of domestic inflation, which has touched a 3-year high of 75%. India will take up hike in assistance issue with WB.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, overall food prices have increased by 75 per cent in dollar terms since 2000. Devarajan said food prices are likely to continue to increase in the near future. He attributed this phenomenon to raising standards of living in countries like India and China, increased use of food crops for bio-fuels and animal feeds, and increased oil and fertilizer prices.
Indian Air Force's frontline Su-30 MKI fighter jets and Eurofighter Typhoons of the Royal Air Force on Wednesday began 17 days of war games codenamed Ex-Indradhanush at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.
Two children died and over 400 others were hospitalised after eating food at an iftaar party in North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya said on Tuesday.
By-elections to Lok Sabha and assembly seats in the states of Assam, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil and West Bengal passed off peacefully on Saturday amidst tight security.
Appearing before Justice Dipankar Dutta, Advocate General Balai Roy submitted that the investigating agency had exceeded the court's order by registering a police complaint and also sought rejection of the petition by Rizwanur's brother Ruqbanur. The CBI had said in its report that Rizwanur had committed suicide.
Piling pressure on the Centre, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday threatened to take to the streets from Thursday to press for immediate withdrawal of joint forces from Maoist-hit areas in West Bengal. Alleging that the joint forces were committing atrocities on innocent people and Trinamool Congress workers, Banerjee said she was demanding their immediate withdrawal."Our party MPs will launch a dharna outside Parliament House," she said.
Three Forward Bloc activists were shot dead by armed Maoists in West Bengal's Purulia district on Sunday night. According to sources, nearly 50 armed Maoists raided Chirogora village late on Sunday night and dragged out the three activists from their houses and shot them dead. The deceased were identified as Leru Majhi, Dasrath Majhi, and Choto Majhi.
A clash broke out between the workers of the TMC and the CPI-M in the Arambag area of Hooghly. One CPI-M worker is said to be injured in the incident.
With West Bengal aiming to become one of the top three IT states by 2010, contributing 15-20 per cent of the country's total IT revenue, a number of IT majors are today doing significant business in Kolkata.
Fresh poultry deaths were reported from a farm in South 24-Parganas in West Bengal on Wednesday, raising fears that the dreaded H5N1 virus might be spreading to the organised sector after affecting backyard poultry. District health officials told PTI that there had been no instance of avian flu in the area earlier. Blood samples have been collected from the farm situated at Benerpukur, health officials said.
BJP state president Rahul Sinha said that he had sought the intervention of Governor M K Narayanan to organise a tripartite meeting with Centre, state government and the Tatas.
State Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rehman said that 1.65 lakh chickens were culled till Sunday, though it fell far short of the targeted figure, which has been raised to seven lakh from the previous target of four lakh. Bird flu spread to Bankura, the sixth district in the state and to seven blocks in Murshidabad and Burdwan districts, on Sunday. Poultry deaths were also reported from new areas, including Darjeeling and Coochbehar.
A blood-soaked Nandigram made Mamata Banerjee what she is today and underpins the hopes of the combustible West Bengal leader of clinching a third straight term in office.
Around 35,000 to 40,000 chickens have died in Birbhum district alone.
The loan will be used to finance procurement of electrics for manufacture of EMU rakes, conversion of DC to AC on Central Railway, technical studies and institutional strengthening studies, Minister of State for Railway K H Muniyappa said.
The book, third volume of the writer's autobiography known as Ka, purportedly hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community.
We invited readers to send in their interesting summer snapshots. Here are a few more responses -- and you can share yours too!
"We cannot squander away the Rs 1,50,000 crore investment proposals. We have to generate employment for our young generations," Bhattacharjee told a district conference of the Communist Party of India - Marxist.
From Latin America to West Bengal, it is Communism that binds. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has sent a cheque for Rs 11.91 lakh to construct a new building of a school in North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. Chavez, a man of strong words and actions, promised during a visit to West Bengal in 2005.
The toll in the train collision at Sainthia station in Birbhum district rose to 66 on Tuesday with three injured passengers of the Vananchal Express succumbing to injuries at the Burdwan Medical College Hospital.
With economic activity buoyed by expectations from the new elected government of "Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is benefiting from a 'Modi dividend'," the Bank said in its twice-a-year South Asia Economic Focus report on Monday.
The ruling CPI-M in West Bengal on Wednesday night said controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen should "leave the state" if her stay disturbs the peace.
The hard-hitting statement came a day after Gandhi indicted the state government and CPI-M, saying the manner in which the recapture of villages in Nandigram was being attempted was totally "unlawful and unacceptable".
All police stations and Central Reserve Police Force camps in the three Maoist-hit districts of West Bengal have been put on high alert and Railway Protection Force has been asked to keep vigil on trains and tracks ahead of Wednesday's 48-hour Bharat bandh called by ultras.
A passenger of an auto-rickshaw was killed and its driver injured when a bomb kept in a bag held by the passenger exploded in South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, the police said
A jawan from the joint security forces was critically injured on Wednesday when Maoists fired at a patrol party while it was engaged in routine combing operations at Birihari forest area in West Midnapore district on the first day of the two-day Naxal- sponsored bandh. Ajay Gupta, a jawan of assistant sub-inspector rank, was rushed to Midnapore medical college hospital in a serious condition, said the police.
The West Bengal government on Friday withdrew the judicial inquiry into Rizwanur Rahman's death.
MGNREGA scheme: A significant Rs 17,370.58 crore has been carried forward over to the next financial year as unpaid dues as demand for work continued unabated for the scheme in rural areas.
WB Board of Madrasha Education results on SMS
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday attacked Congress, accusing it of trying to help Communist Party of India-Marxist in the coming civic polls in West Bengal and virtually compared its United Progressive Alliance partner to collaborators of Pakistani army during Bangladesh liberation war.
At least 66 people were killed and over two hundred people injured when a severe nor'wester with a windspeed of 125 km per hour ripped through North Dinajpur district in West Bengal and four neighbouring districts of Bihar.
West Bengal minister Madan Mitra on Friday claimed that if he had the power he would have removed the state election commissioner and alleged that it was conspiring with opposition parties in the panchayat polls.
The Jindal group has not given any commitment to the West Bengal government on giving equity or employment to people who provide land for a 10-million tonne steel plant it is setting up at Salboni
A fresh gunbattle broke out between the Maoists and the joint forces in Salboni area on Saturday, while the police remained tightlipped over reports that top leader Kishenji was injured in Thursday's encounter at Hatiloth forest in West Midnapore district.
One person was killed and around 40 houses were ransacked during a clash between workers of the Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist at Hatishala village under Chapra police station in Nadia district on Tuesday.
The inter-state anti-Naxal operation, along the Jharkhand-West Bengal border, has led to the unearthing of administrative and military units of the Naxals.The operation, which started on Tuesday evening, is a result of several months of planning, and is being lead by over 4,000 central forces including the Special Action Force of the Central Reserve Police Force, besides local police teams of the two states.
In a record of its kind, students from a boarding school with no access to mobile phones and TV sets have made it to the Top 10.
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