CM Suvendu Adhikari announced WB’s first-time participation in ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ with 70L flags and a rally. He also revealed other decisions like renaming the rural housing scheme and increasing Kolkata and Howrah municipal corporation wards.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that the state government will be participating in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign for the first time, with the distribution of 70 lakh national flags across the state. The Chief Minister announced the initiative on Thursday, saying that the state intends to hold a massive patriotic demonstration in the heart of Kolkata.
“The government has issued a circular outlining the measures to be taken based on guidelines received from the Central Government. This program will be implemented across all sectors–from government offices to educational institutions–in strict adherence to the Centre’s guidelines. The West Bengal government is participating in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign for the first time. The large-scale distribution of 70 lakh national flags by our Department of Information and Cultural Affairs began on the 5th. Additionally, a major ‘Tiranga Rally’ will be organised on the 10th; this rally will commence at the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and proceed to Gate No. 1 of the Birla Planetarium. We expect at least 50,000 patriotic citizens to participate in this event,” Adhikari said.
Taking a dig at the state’s previous administration for its stance on the campaign, Adhikari remarked, “I do not know why the previous government did not participate in this national event; you would have to ask them about that. I have no answer or information regarding this matter.” He further asserted that the initiative transcends politics. “This is not an issue linked to any specific political party or individual; it is an initiative to awaken patriotism and foster nationalism in the national interest. Anyone who believes in the mantra of ‘Nation First’ should certainly participate in this program,” the CM added.
Major Cabinet Decisions Announced
Simultaneously, the Chief Minister also highlighted several key Cabinet decisions, including the approval to transfer over 200 kilometres of land to the Border Security Force (BSF) and land for national highways and Navodaya Vidyalayas.
Adhikari also announced a major restructuring of urban local bodies, stating, “Additionally, the delimitation process for the Kolkata and Howrah Municipal Corporations is underway; we are increasing the number of wards–from 50 to 60 in Howrah and from 144 to 209 in Kolkata.” A special one-day session of the Legislative Assembly has also been scheduled for August 12 to amend the Municipal Corporation Act.
State Schemes Renamed, New Benefits for Women
Furthermore, the Chief Minister announced that the state’s rural housing scheme has been renamed ‘Paschim Banga Awas Yojana’ and that a new roadmap is being prepared to provide additional financial benefits to women over and above the Rs 5,000 currently provided under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.
In a shift toward aligning state schemes with national nomenclature, the Chief Minister also announced that the rural housing scheme, formerly known as ‘Bangla Bari’, has been renamed ‘Paschim Banga Awas Yojana’. “We have also approved renaming the state government’s rural housing scheme–formerly known as ‘Bangla Bari’–to ‘Paschim Banga Awas Yojana’. We are formulating a roadmap to implement an additional benefit scheme–as promised in our manifesto–which will be over and above the Rs 5,000 provided under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana; this will be launched soon,” Adhikari added. (ANI)
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