Latest news with #KanyashreePrakalpa
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Freedom wouldn't have come without Bengal's contribution: Mamata Banerjee
KOLKATA: India wouldn't have won freedom from the British without the contribution of Bengal's freedom fighters, writers and social reformers, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday on the eve of Independence Day. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee addresses during a programme to mark 12 years of 'Kanyashree Prakalpa', the state's social welfare scheme for girls, in Kolkata, on Aug. 14. (PTI) 'Our freedom wouldn't have come without Bengal. This is part of history. 70% of inmates at Andaman's Cellular Jail were Bengalis. Punjabis comprised the next largest number. A replica of the jail's plaque bearing all those names is kept at our Alipore Correctional Home (in Kolkata). Please go and see it,' Banerjee said during the 12th anniversary celebration of the Kanyashree Prakalpa, her welfare scheme for girl students. The Trinamool Congress chairperson referred to the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states recently, following the detention of migrant workers on suspicion that they are illegal Bangladeshi migrants. Banerjee said Bengalis had to suffer after the Bengal province was divided in 1947 and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was formed. 'Partition came at a price and we had to pay it. Those who left everything and came here as refugees were recognised as citizens. Of course, action should be taken against those who are foreigners. The Centre can do that. This is not in our hands. But why are people being unnecessarily targeted?' Banerjee said. 'Day before yesterday, a man from a technical field went to Noida with his child, but hotels refused accommodation because he speaks Bengali. If I respect your language, why shouldn't you respect mine?' she said. 'Rabindranath Tagore composed the national anthem and Bankimchandra Chattopdahy composed Vande Mataram, our national song. Both are sung in the Parliament. The Jai Hind slogan was raised by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Don't forget that the first legislation to stop the practice of Sati was passed in Bengal,' Banerjee said, paying homage to Raja Rammohan Roy, the icon of the Bengal Renaissance who fought against the barbaric practice of burning widows in the pryes of their husbands. 'Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chairman of our Constitution drafting committee, won his first election from Bengal. At the time when India won freedom, Gandhiji was in Beliaghata to stop communal riots. This is the land of people like Ramakrishna Paramahansha, Shri Chaitanya Deb, Pandit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, Khudiram Bose, Prafulla Chaki, Matangini Hazra,' Banerjee added. 'We learn English because it is an international language but nothing can be compared to Bengali. Learn as many languages as you wish but don't forget your language and your motherland,' She said, addressing the students. Women who have achieved success in various fields were felicitated at the government event. Bengal BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar insisted that allegations of harassment of Bengali-speaking people are baseless. 'A false binary is being created before the 2026 assembly polls. TMC alleged three days ago that a migrant worker was murdered in Tamil Nadu because he spoke Bengali. Police investigation showed that the murder was linked to his wife's extramarital affair. Two days ago, TMC alleged that some men in Mumbai sliced off the ears of a migrant worker from Birbhum because he spoke Bengali. The man said he was attacked during a dispute over wages,' said Sarkar.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Over 93 lakh women benefitted from Kanyashree scheme in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that over 93 lakh women have benefited from the state government's Kanyashree scheme. Taking to the social media platform X, CM Mamata said her government has spent over Rs 17,000 crore in the last 12 years to help women through this scheme. "Today is Kanyashree Day. The Kanyashree project has completed 12 years today. Many congratulations to all the Kanyashree women across the world, across the country, across Bengal. I don't think there is any other government project that has had such a big impact on women's empowerment in society in such a short time! That's why it is so popular in the world - it won the United Nations Public Service Award, winning first place among 552 projects from 62 countries," Banerjee said. 'Kanyashree Prakalpa' is a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme which is aimed at checking child marriage and retaining girls in schools and other educational institutions. In 2017, Kanyashree Prakalpa, which is a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme, received the United Nations' highest award, the first place for Public Service. "I always think that a society where women are not well off can never be well off. Empowerment of women is necessary for the development of society. It is my pride that today there are more than 93 lakh 'Kanyashree women' in our state. Seventeen and a half thousand crore taka has been handed over to them under this project. We don't just talk about women's empowerment. We do it," she said. The Chief Minister concluded by saying, "I would like to tell all the Kanyashree women to grow up in life and make the face of the country and the state shine. You will one day build a world Bengal. You will wear the crown of respect on your heads in the world."
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Bengal govt to build awareness among boys, girls on harmful effects of child marriage
Kolkata, West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja said the state government will emphasise building awareness among girls and boys about the harmful effects of child marriage. Panja, the minister for women and child development and social welfare, said it is not just girls alone, boys also have to be educated about the ill effects of early marriage. "They should be demotivated from marrying before their legal age of marriage too," Panja said on Monday at a 'State Level Consultation on Adolescent Empowerment' attended by government officials from various departments working together to end child marriage. She urged the officials assembled in the programme to share their experiences in fighting the menace since the launch of the District Action Plan three years ago, and later the Child Marriage Reporting and Tracking Mechanism. The state reported more than 41 per cent of girls getting married underage in the National Family Health Survey-5 released in 2020-21. "Building awareness in society is the key to stopping this. Also include men and boys more in the meetings on child marriage with girls and women," Panja told officials after releasing 'Guidelines for Implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 in West Bengal'. The state government, in collaboration with UNICEF, prepared a District Action Plan in 2022 to counter child marriage. Panja, women and child development department's principal secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh, Dr Monjur Hossain, chief of UNICEF in West Bengal and other officials listened to the successes and challenges faced by the district officials, UNICEF said in a press release. The minister asked the officials from the departments of health and family welfare, school education, panchayat and rural development, technical education, training and skill development to deal with the problem more empathetically as present-day adolescents are exposed to many lures and distractions, including online and social media platforms on mobile phones, according to the release. Panja also emphasised that 'Kanyashree Prakalpa' has now been empowering adolescent girls on online safety, besides motivating them to remain in school and not get married. In NFHS-5, the maximum child marriages were reported from Purba Medinipur followed by Purba Bardhaman and Jalpaiguri being the lowest at 18 per cent. The state government, with the help of UNICEF, launched the Child Marriage Reporting and Tracking Mechanism in 2023 to collect data from the districts and portray the real-time situation, Ghosh said, urging the officials to use the resources regularly. Describing this consultation as "A renewed call to action", Hossain said the holistic development of adolescents requires concerted, coordinated and multi-sectoral actions by all stakeholders concerned. "The involvement of key community influencers, panchayat members, SHGs, religious leaders, teachers, students, youths and adolescents is necessary to challenge harmful norms and support girls' and boys' empowerment," he added.
