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Tag: Mamata Banerjee

  • West Bengal govt and Laliga partner for Football development

    West Bengal govt and Laliga partner for Football development

    Mumbai: Focusing on football development, the Government of West Bengal and Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional ( Laliga), have entered a Memorandum of Understanding to elevate the game through mutual collaborations between India and Spain. Represented by the honourable chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee and president of Laliga, Javier Tebas, the meeting took place in Madrid and will seek to jointly promote football through mutual collaboration.

    In attendance, were the former Indian cricket player, Sourav Ganguly, and chief secretary, Govt of West Bengal, H.K. Dwivedi.  Representatives of the two major Football clubs of West Bengal joined the program: Debasish Dutta, general secretary, of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club & Ishtiaque Ahmed, general secretary of Mohammedan Sporting Club.

    With the objective of collaboration through bilateral relations, the MOU will amplify the flow of knowledge & expertise from  Laliga – the largest football ecosystem in the world – into West Bengal. Utilising shared resources to develop the game, the MOU will also look to develop the game’s grassroots & youth development set-up in West Bengal.

    Amongst the highlights of the groundbreaking understanding of talent identification, infrastructural development & coach education,  Laliga will also explore the development of excellence projects in the region basis mutual agreements with the government of West Bengal. Additionally,  Laliga will also explore opportunities for football administrators, players & coaches from the region to be trained in the  Laliga methodology.

    Looking to build on the rich football heritage linked to West Bengal clubs,  Laliga will additionally, share its technical know-how and expertise to assist football clubs of the State.

    The honourable chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee added: “The signing of MOU between Govt of West Bengal and  Laliga today on 14 September 2023 at Madrid, Spain in the presence of Mohun Bagan Club, East Bengal Club, Mohammedan Sporting Club and our icon Sourav Ganguly, will bring a new glorious chapter for Bengal football. We are on our way to becoming an epicentre of football in India.”

    Laliga president  Javier Tebas said, “We are thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with the Government of West Bengal to elevate football development in the region, taking advantage of the experience we have after more than 90 years leading professional soccer in Spain, and more specifically in the seven years that  Laliga has been in India since opening its office in 2016. This Memorandum of Understanding signifies our commitment to the people of West Bengal as jointly aim to create a self-sustaining football ecosystem, that will nurture talent in line with their rich heritage. Through knowledge sharing and collaboration, we will work towards building a brighter future for Indian football.” 

  • Doodle-icious: Amul celebrates regional leaders’ wins in assembly polls with topicals

    Doodle-icious: Amul celebrates regional leaders’ wins in assembly polls with topicals

    MUMBAI: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee was sworn-in as West Bengal chief minister for the third straight term Wednesday after she spearheaded her party to a remarkable victory in the recently concluded assembly elections. 

    2 May marked a jubilant day for regional stalwarts as along with Didi, Pinarayi Vijayan and MK Stalin also emerged victorious in their respective states despite a stiff opposition challenge.

    The TMC proved all exit polls wrong and won 213 seats in West Bengal, two more than its 2016 tally, successfully taking on the BJP juggernaut led by PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, besides a battery of national and state leaders.

    The Amul creative features the TMC Supremo in her trademark white cotton saree with the captions “She Didi It Again” and “Enjoy TrinAmul!”

     

     

    The historic win of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the Kerala Assembly election has put the spotlight on its lead author, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. His resolute leadership style and daring political experiments amid major challenges and crises in the state – like the 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreak, the Sabarimala case controversy and now the Covid2019 pandemic – has found resounding approval among the state’s electorate, so much so that it re-elected an incumbent government for the first time in four decades. The LDF won 91 seats and the Congress-led UDF 40, while BJP failed to secure a single seat in the state, despite roping in ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan in a last-minute bid to garner votes.

     

     

    The Amul Topical reads “Triwondrum” showing the Kerala CM in his signature white mundu and shirt against a backdrop of the State’s map with the words “Amul – God’s own snack” – a reference to its official state tourism tagline, God’s own country.

     In Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin-led DMK wrested power from BJP ally AIADMK, denying the ruling party a third straight term. Stalin, the 68-year-old DMK president, is all set to become the chief minister for the first time, after a decade in opposition. The Secular Progressive Alliance led by him won a convincing victory over arch-rival AIADMK in the southern state, securing 156 seats.

    The Amul topical depicts the DMK president taking a victory walk on a ramp with the words “STALwin” emblazoned.

     

     

  • Relief for broadcasters as WB govt ends impasse between artist forum, production houses

    Relief for broadcasters as WB govt ends impasse between artist forum, production houses

    MUMBAI: The Bengali TV Industry, one of the major hubs of India’s entertainment ecosystem, was in the middle of a major crisis since Saturday. The tussle between the production house guild and artist forum had stalled the shooting of almost 30 mega serials aired on major GECs in the state. With no new episodes in the bank, broadcasters were compelled to air repeat telecasts of shows. With the two warring parties refusing to budge, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee intervened, calling on a meeting involving both factions in the presence of three major broadcasters – Zee Bangla, Star Jalsha and Colors Bangla.

    The decision to set up a joint conciliation committee was taken at the meeting, which was also attended by renowned actors like Prosenjit Chatterjee, Soumitra Chatterjee, representatives of Welfare Association of Television Producers. After the meeting, Banerjee told the media that problems concerning all the parties were discussed and the shooting would now resume.

    “The shoot of the mega serials will be resumed tomorrow morning. Our telly industry holds a very respectable place in our state. There will be a Joint Conciliation Committee that will look over all the issues,” she said after breaking the deadlock between the two groups.

    Representatives from production houses, channels, artists, technicians will be a part of the committee, which will be headed by minister Arup Biswas. The committee is expected to meet every month to resolve any conflict and ensure the smooth functioning of the industry. 

    With shooting set to resume today, the entire ecosystem can now breathe a sigh of relief.

    This, however, wasn’t the first time the artist forum and production houses were involved in a stand-off. But the scale of the conflict this time around certainly had the Bengali TV industry worried and the audience frustrated.

    The demands of the artist forum were two-fold – one was about timely payments, the second was with regards to shoot timings. The artists wanted to receive their payment by the 15th of every month. A source close to the development told Indiantelevision.com that there were several artists whose payments have been due for long. The source added that the delay in payments hasn’t necessarily hampered lead actors, but the supporting casts. 

    As per the directive of the forum, actors, some of whom had put their make up on, refused to continue shooting till their dues were cleared. The artist forum also called for overtime payment after ten hours of work.

    The television division head of a leading production house we spoke to blamed some artists for not being present on the floor at the scheduled call time, countering the demand for overtime payment. According to him, some actors did not shoot for more than six hours as they juggled between two projects at the same time. This inflicted monetary losses on the production houses, which pay a monthly rent for floors, he added.

    Many people involved in the issue feared that it could hurt viewers’ interest and that they would gravitate towards Hindi GECs. For the younger audience, there’s already an option of digital content.

    On Star Jalsha, Colors Bangla, Zee Bangla popular shows like Fagun Bou, Ke Apon Ke Por, Debi Choudhurani, Kusum Dola, Om Namah Shibay, Krishnokoli, Joyee, Andarmahal, Rani Rasmoni, Reshom Jhanpi, Subho Drishti, Aloy Bhubon Bhora did not have fresh episodes. Only two new serials Bajlo Tomar Alor Benu and Bhumikonya on Star Jalsha, along with a few reality shows on Zee Bangla and Colors Bangla were aired properly. However, Bengali GEC Akaash Aath survived the crisis without any disruption in telecasting new episodes.

    Had the deadlock not been broken, the entire local entertainment industry in the state could have suffered a great deal of financial damage. With so many people across the state employed in the industry, a prolonged problem between the two parties could have severely crippled the family economy of several households.

    It now remains to be seen how the newly formed committee functions in a bid to ensure there is no repeat of such a situation.

  • Non-bailable FIR by Mamata Banerjee against Zee News & Sudhir Chaudhary

    Non-bailable FIR by Mamata Banerjee against Zee News & Sudhir Chaudhary

    MUMBAI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has filed a non-bailable FIR against Zee News and its reporter Sudhir Chaudhary for daring to openly air the communal rampage which took place in her backyard.

    Chaudhary wrote on Facebook: “Just to inform all of you Mamta Banerjee Govt has filed an FIR against me and Zee News reporter Pooja Mehta and cameraperson Tanmay Mukherjee for covering Dhulagarh Riots on Zee News. The FIR has non-bailable sections which is enough to gauge their intentions to arrest me and my colleagues. Pooja Mehta is just 25 and got the taste of Mamta’s intolerance so early in life in the form of a non bailable FIR.

    The message goes on to say: “This is what a young girl reporter is getting to learn from a woman Chief Minister who claims to be the champion of democracy. It’s another low point in our democracy to see a democratically elected government using police force to curb media in an effort to suppress uncomfortable facts and reality. When you can’t manage media, use the state machinery to conquer the media only to conceal the failures of your administration. It shows the intolerance of a chief minister who is using the state machinery as her personal fiefdom and acting like a feudal lord. I see the positive side of this blunder as a window for all free minds of this nation to act and show fascist forces their actual place. Or will once again Selfish Politics prevail? That’s my fear. #IntolerantMamta”

    A few days ago Dhulagarh in Howrah district of West Bengal, located some 30 odd kilometers from the state’s capital was rocked by communal violence. While Hindus of the town were busy with Margashirsha Poornima festivities on 13 December, the Muslims formed a procession, blaring loud music, ostensibly claiming to celebrate Milad-un-Nabi, which actually fell the day before and was a public holiday. A simple request by Hindus to lower the volume of the loudspeakers provoked the Muslims into a frenzy of riot and arson. Hindu homes and shops were set ablaze and scores of Hindus were forced to flee. Locals reported that the Muslims who rioted at Dhulagarh were not locals but had come from outside specifically with the purpose of ousting Hindus. As per news reports, the police party sent to put an end to the riot was stopped by the rioters and bombs were hurled at it.

    This is not the first case in recent times of a TV channel getting the axe for reporting the truth. Earlier, it was NDTV India faced a one-day black-out imposed by the Union Government for airing content regarding Pathankot strike that it felt could have aided the terrorists and imperiled the lives of security men and their families.

  • Non-bailable FIR by Mamata Banerjee against Zee News & Sudhir Chaudhary

    Non-bailable FIR by Mamata Banerjee against Zee News & Sudhir Chaudhary

    MUMBAI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has filed a non-bailable FIR against Zee News and its reporter Sudhir Chaudhary for daring to openly air the communal rampage which took place in her backyard.

    Chaudhary wrote on Facebook: “Just to inform all of you Mamta Banerjee Govt has filed an FIR against me and Zee News reporter Pooja Mehta and cameraperson Tanmay Mukherjee for covering Dhulagarh Riots on Zee News. The FIR has non-bailable sections which is enough to gauge their intentions to arrest me and my colleagues. Pooja Mehta is just 25 and got the taste of Mamta’s intolerance so early in life in the form of a non bailable FIR.

    The message goes on to say: “This is what a young girl reporter is getting to learn from a woman Chief Minister who claims to be the champion of democracy. It’s another low point in our democracy to see a democratically elected government using police force to curb media in an effort to suppress uncomfortable facts and reality. When you can’t manage media, use the state machinery to conquer the media only to conceal the failures of your administration. It shows the intolerance of a chief minister who is using the state machinery as her personal fiefdom and acting like a feudal lord. I see the positive side of this blunder as a window for all free minds of this nation to act and show fascist forces their actual place. Or will once again Selfish Politics prevail? That’s my fear. #IntolerantMamta”

    A few days ago Dhulagarh in Howrah district of West Bengal, located some 30 odd kilometers from the state’s capital was rocked by communal violence. While Hindus of the town were busy with Margashirsha Poornima festivities on 13 December, the Muslims formed a procession, blaring loud music, ostensibly claiming to celebrate Milad-un-Nabi, which actually fell the day before and was a public holiday. A simple request by Hindus to lower the volume of the loudspeakers provoked the Muslims into a frenzy of riot and arson. Hindu homes and shops were set ablaze and scores of Hindus were forced to flee. Locals reported that the Muslims who rioted at Dhulagarh were not locals but had come from outside specifically with the purpose of ousting Hindus. As per news reports, the police party sent to put an end to the riot was stopped by the rioters and bombs were hurled at it.

    This is not the first case in recent times of a TV channel getting the axe for reporting the truth. Earlier, it was NDTV India faced a one-day black-out imposed by the Union Government for airing content regarding Pathankot strike that it felt could have aided the terrorists and imperiled the lives of security men and their families.

  • AIR’s new radio station aimed at Bangladesh with Bangladesh content

    AIR’s new radio station aimed at Bangladesh with Bangladesh content

    NEW DELHI: In a unique venture, a new radio station of All India Radio is expected to beam shortly with exclusive programmes aimed at listeners in Bangladesh and the Indo-Bangla border.

    AIR External Services director Amlan Jyoti Mazumdar told indiantelevision.com that the most unique aspect was that the new channel – Akashvani Maitree – it would also beam programmes that are either co-productions or made by Bangladesh programmers. 

    The channel was to have been launched yesterday but President Pranab Mukherjee, who was to be present, put off his trip. All India Radio sources said that a new date would be fixed as soon as there is a confirmation from Rashtrapati Bhavan. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also be present.

    Mazumdar confirmed that artistes from both sides of the border had arrived in Kolkata for the formal inauguration at Rabindra Bharati auditorium, but said the artistes would come again when a new date is fixed.

    The channel is also unique as it is a terrestrial channel, to be beamed from Chinsurah from a state-of-the-art 1,000 KW DRM high power transmitter which was capable of reaching out to listeners in the entire country (Bangladesh). Officials said AIR was talking to FM stations in Bangladesh to relay the programmes to ensure better service in hinterland Bangladesh.

    Mazumdar also said that another unique aspect of this channel was that it could be streamed online on airworldservice.org and through Apps from anywhere in the world and would therefore prove popular among people who spoke Bengali anywhere in the world.

    This is not the first time that an attempt has been made to reach out to audiences across the border in Bangladesh as a Bangla radio service had been launched in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation Movement and discontinued in 2010.

    AIR sources said the channel was being re-launched in view of the changed circumstances and the important place Bangladesh occupies in India’s foreign policy.

    Earlier, the radio service ran for 6 hours 30 minutes daily, but the new Akashvani Maitree will run 16 hours a day which will include three news bulletins, one from Bangladesh.

    The content would cover issues ranging from healthcare to agriculture. A programme series profiling different premier medical institutes, super speciality treatments available here, procedures to be followed for availing these services, tentative costs, visa facilitation etc. is also proposed to be broadcast on the service.

    Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar said the service was meant specifically for the people of Bangladesh and will primarily be in Bangla and will highlight the common cultural heritage that connects India and its neighbour.

  • AIR’s new radio station aimed at Bangladesh with Bangladesh content

    AIR’s new radio station aimed at Bangladesh with Bangladesh content

    NEW DELHI: In a unique venture, a new radio station of All India Radio is expected to beam shortly with exclusive programmes aimed at listeners in Bangladesh and the Indo-Bangla border.

    AIR External Services director Amlan Jyoti Mazumdar told indiantelevision.com that the most unique aspect was that the new channel – Akashvani Maitree – it would also beam programmes that are either co-productions or made by Bangladesh programmers. 

    The channel was to have been launched yesterday but President Pranab Mukherjee, who was to be present, put off his trip. All India Radio sources said that a new date would be fixed as soon as there is a confirmation from Rashtrapati Bhavan. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also be present.

    Mazumdar confirmed that artistes from both sides of the border had arrived in Kolkata for the formal inauguration at Rabindra Bharati auditorium, but said the artistes would come again when a new date is fixed.

    The channel is also unique as it is a terrestrial channel, to be beamed from Chinsurah from a state-of-the-art 1,000 KW DRM high power transmitter which was capable of reaching out to listeners in the entire country (Bangladesh). Officials said AIR was talking to FM stations in Bangladesh to relay the programmes to ensure better service in hinterland Bangladesh.

    Mazumdar also said that another unique aspect of this channel was that it could be streamed online on airworldservice.org and through Apps from anywhere in the world and would therefore prove popular among people who spoke Bengali anywhere in the world.

    This is not the first time that an attempt has been made to reach out to audiences across the border in Bangladesh as a Bangla radio service had been launched in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation Movement and discontinued in 2010.

    AIR sources said the channel was being re-launched in view of the changed circumstances and the important place Bangladesh occupies in India’s foreign policy.

    Earlier, the radio service ran for 6 hours 30 minutes daily, but the new Akashvani Maitree will run 16 hours a day which will include three news bulletins, one from Bangladesh.

    The content would cover issues ranging from healthcare to agriculture. A programme series profiling different premier medical institutes, super speciality treatments available here, procedures to be followed for availing these services, tentative costs, visa facilitation etc. is also proposed to be broadcast on the service.

    Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar said the service was meant specifically for the people of Bangladesh and will primarily be in Bangla and will highlight the common cultural heritage that connects India and its neighbour.

  • Reliance Jio Infocomm extends free 4G wi-fi service in Kolkata

    Reliance Jio Infocomm extends free 4G wi-fi service in Kolkata

    KOLKATA: Reliance Jio Infocomm, the company owned by Mukesh Ambani’s flagship Reliance Industries, has said that four more areas in Kolkata will turn into wi-fi enabled zones by next month.

    In February, the company rolled out a free 4G wi-fi service at Park Street, enabling Kolkata as the first metro city with a 4G-enabled high-speed internet service.

    South City to Lords crossing, Medical College to Barnaparichay Mall and the areas around Lady Brabourne College, National Medical College and Don Bosco School, and Rashbehari crossing to Hazra crossing, are the new public wi-fi zones where the services are likely to be stretched. Two more zones were added last month — Gariahat-Golpark and the area near Jadavpur 8B bus-stand.

    Sources said that it takes a week to set up power connectivity with access points so the system and the wi-fi zones are likely to be active by the end of this month or in the first week of May.

    Sources further added that the company is extending the service to four more areas because of the increasing demand for data services. 

    Around five lakh users have availed of the free wi-fi service since it was rolled out at Park Street on 5 February. Park Street has around 230 wi-fi routers online, allowing around 9,200 people to connect to the wi-fi network at a time.

     

    While inaugurating wi-fi in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that in around next two months, the whole city will be connected with wi-fi.

    The Chief Minister further said that the company has laid down the cable connectivity covering 2,000 km, and around 250-300 km cable laying work was likely to be completed soon. “Reliance Jio Infocomm has completed more than 90 per cent of the work,” she said.

    The company, which is investing around Rs 3,300 crore to roll out 4G in Bengal, plans to offer the free service as part of a sampling experiment. The official commercial launch will take place later.

  • West Bengal government to set up a film archive

    West Bengal government to set up a film archive

    KOLKATA: With an aim to set up a film archive in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Bollywood actress Jaya Bachchan.

     

    “I had asked Jaya Bachchan to work out a plan for a film archive here with the direct involvement of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan ji. It will help the industry here,” Banerjee said after her hour-long meeting with Jaya Bachchan at the state Secretariat Nabanna.

     

    Jaya Bachchan, after meeting the chief minister said, “I came here responding to the CM’s call for working out a plan for a film archive. The CM has also sought the involvement of Amitabh Bachchanji. I have submitted a proposal in this regard,” Jaya said.

     

    When experts were contacted they said that the state government plans to safeguard the heritage of cinema for posterity and act as a centre for dissemination of a healthy film culture here. “Familiarizing foreign audiences with Bengali cinema and to make it more visible across the globe is another declared objective of the state government,” an expert added.

     

    Going forward, the state might also look at classifying and documenting data related to film and undertake research on cinema.

     

    Generally books and periodicals covering cinema, festival publications, ancillary material like song booklets, photographs, wall posters, pamphlets, folders, disc records and other memorabilia on cinema are preserved by the research and documentation section.

  • Reliance Jio Infocomm rolls out free 4G wi-fi service in Kolkata

    Reliance Jio Infocomm rolls out free 4G wi-fi service in Kolkata

    KOLKATA: Reliance Jio Infocomm, the company owned by Mukesh Ambani’s flagship Reliance Industries, has rolled out a free 4G wi-fi service at Park Street, in Kolkata. With this, the city is likely to be wi-fi enabled in the next two months.

     

    “Park Street is the first wi-fi zone in Kolkata. In around next two months, the whole city will be connected with wi-fi,” said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while inaugurating the Wi-Fi.

     

    The Chief Minister further said that the company has laid down the cable connectivity covering 2,000 km, and around 250-300km cable laying work is likely to be completed soon. “Reliance Jio Infocomm has completed more than 90 per cent of the work,” she said.

     

    With this free wi-fi, Banerjee said that Kolkata will be the first global knowledge hub in the country. “This will transform Kolkata into a networked society – smart, simple and secure,” she said.

     

    Banerjee made the announcement of wi-fi service at the inauguration of the 39th Calcutta International Book Fair.

     

    The company, which is investing around Rs 3,300 crore to roll out 4G in Bengal, plans to offer the free service as part of a sampling experiment. The official commercial launch will take place later.