YK MYK RSS-BACKED SWADESHI MANCH TAKES ON MODI GOVERNMENT AGAIN OPINION Rs. 3 KOLKATA TUESDAY, 28 DEC, 2021 PG- 8, YEAR— 8, ISSUE— 217 (RNI NO: WBENG / 2014 / 56803) NATION Morning India TMC leader justifies huge difference in party’s flagship scheme payout in Goa, Bengal MI NEWS SERVICE PANAJI/KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress on Monday justified the vast disparity in the payout in the West Bengal government's Griha Laxmi scheme and the promise of Rs 5,000 to every household in Goa made recently by the party's founder Mamata Banjeree. Women who have enrolled under the government scheme in the eastern state are paid only Rs 500 per month. "Bengal, where our party chief is the CM, has a population of 10 crore. In Goa, the population is 15 lakh, In Bengal they (AITC) promised Rs 500 and gave 500. We have promised Rs 5,000, we will give 5,000," Goa AITC leader Kiran Kandolkar told reporters. While expressing confidence that the AITCMaharashtrawadi Gomantak Party alliance would form a government after the 2022 state Assembly polls, Kandolkar also said that its government would make a budgetary allocation for disbursing money under the scheme for which more than 1.5 lakh women have already enrolled with the party. "How we will do it, we will explain after we form a government. SA VS IND, FIRST TEST: RAIN WASHES OUT DAY TWO CM Mamata Banerjee to visit Gangasagar today MI NEWS SERVICE We will do it through budget allocation," Kandolkar said. Meanwhile, Goa Trinamool leader Kiran Kandolkar said on Monday that for a former Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram's calculations are awry, slamming the Congress Committee's senior observer's criticism of the All India Trinamool Congress. Chidambaram on Sunday had accused the Trinamool of fracturing the non-BJP vote in Goa, while adding that despite desertions by its 'leaders', 99 per cent of the Congress workers had remained loyal to the party. "As a Finance Minister, his calculation should be correct. He says 99 per cent Congress workers are with us. Congress workers have joined the AITC, because they feel that the party is not serious about winning the 2022 Assembly polls and sending the BJP home," Kandolkar told reporters. KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is going to Gangasagar on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. On the same day, she will worship at Kapil Muni's Ashram. It is learned that the Chief Minister is going to Gangasagar just one day before the scheduled visit due to changes in the weather. She was supposed to go to Gangasagar next Wednesday. However, due to the western disturbance, the weather office forecast rain in most districts of South Bengal, including Kolkata on Wednesday. That is why the schedule has been changed. The Chief Minister is going to Gangasagar on Tuesday, not on Wednesday. She will leave Kolkata at half past noon. She is supposed to reach there by three o'clock. On the same day, worship was to be held at Kapil Muni's Ashram. She will check the preparation of upcoming Gangasagar Mela. She will also hold an administrative meeting during her three-day visit. Every year many people from different countries and states come to this fair. Earlier, she convened a preparatory meeting on Monday. She informed that additional buses and trains will be available for tourists coming to the fair. The Chief Minister also enquired about their facilities and code of conduct. She also claimed that this time the fair will be plastic free. After discussions with the railway officials present at the meeting, the Chief Minister said that additional trains would run at Howrah and Sealdah- Namkhana routes. There will be 70 additional trains. Not only trains, but also additional public-private buses will ply, the CM said. Total 2250 buses will operate during the fair. Besides, the State has taken special measures to prevent accidents. Volunteers will reach the accident site as soon as they get the news. 6,500 volunteers from 1000 voluntary organisations will be present at the fair to assist people. Bike-borne sergeants will be on the road during the fair to prevent accidents. Besides, 1050 CCTVs will be installed at the fair for surveillance. There will be 25 fire tenders and10 temporary fire stations. Many people will gather at the fair. The State government has taken special measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the fair. There will be 13 medical screening camps at the fair to prevent Coronavirus. RT-PCR test will be done before getting on the bus at Maidan. There are thirteen separate camps. There is a 600bed hospital in the fair area. There will be 5 isolation centres. The Chief Minister said that everyone should wear a mask. That mask will be distributed by the government and voluntary organisations. Physical distancing must be maintained. The Chief Minister has directed to keep a close watch on the fair so that no untoward incident takes place. In her words, "This is one of the best fairs in the world. We have to keep an eye on the fair so that no one can spread discrimination and give provocative messages." 4 Municipal One more held in infiltration case Corporations to go to polls on Jan 22 KOLKATA: One more person has been arrested in the case of infiltration by a Bangladeshi national, Kolkata police said on Monday. According to police, the accused was arrested on the suspicion that he produced forged identification documents. He has been remanded to police custody till January 3, 2022, police said. On December 25 midnight, Kolkata Police nabbed one Bijoy Kr Roy, 41, of Jatrapur, Nadia from his residence in connection with a case registered at the Anandapur police station (case against accused being Bangladesh national, according to a statement issued by the police. "He is suspected of producing forged documents like voter ID card, Adhar card, etc. Police have seized a portion of documents from his custody. He was produced before court where he was remanded to police custody till January 3, 2022. An investigation is on," the police added. MI NEWS SERVICE West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visits the decorated Bow Barracks in Kolkata on Monday KOLKATA: The State Election Commission (SEC) did not release the notification of the polls even though the polling day was announced for four municipalities on Monday. Because of the stalemate over Howrah municipality the notification was not released. According to a source in Nabanna, efforts are being made to get the consent of Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar till the last moment. With the Governor's signature on the bill to separate Howrah and Bally municipalities, five municipalities Bidhannagar, Siliguri, Asansol, Chandannagar and Howrah will go to polls on January 22. According to State Election Commission sources, the election notification may be released on Tuesday morning. In case of Municipal elections, notification has to be issued 24 to 27 days in advance. According to that rule, the deadline of polling is scheduled on January 22. Therefore, the notification must be released by Tuesday. According to the rules of local level elections like Panchayat or Municipality, the State government issues a notification first. Then the State Election Commission issues a notification detailing the voting schedule. But in this case, the reason why the State hasn't issued a notification yet is because, Mamata Banerjee's government is communicating with the Governor at the last minute about the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) bill. Incidentally, the hearing regarding the issue of civic body polls in the Calcutta High Court last Thursday raised the issue of uncertainty over voting in Howrah and Bally municipalities. State Advocate General Soumendra Nath Mukherjee told a bench headed by the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Prakash Srivastava on Friday that the Governor had signed the Bill on Thursday night. But on Friday afternoon, opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari met Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Raj Bhavan and claimed that the Governor told him that he had not signed the Bill. Later on Saturday, the Governor wrote on Twitter that he did not sign the Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, a matter still under consideration. In this situation, the State Election Commissioner Sourav Das said that if the Governor signs the Howrah Bill by Tuesday, the voting could take place on January 22. January 25 will be scheduled as the counting day of the four municipalities. He said the notification is not announced as the State had not yet informed the Commission about Howrah. In 2015, Bally municipality was merged with Howrah municipality. 16 new wards of Howrah municipality were created. In October of that year, by-elections were held in 16 constituencies. The Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2021 to separate Howrah and Bally municipalities was passed in the winter session of the Legislative Assembly last November. Although the Bill was passed in the Assembly, the Governor has not signed the Bill.