1. Bengal Tops List Of Child Marriages
Bengal has had the most number of child marriages in the past few years compared to other eastern states, a report by the Child in Need Institute says.
Although the number of child marriages reported in 2015-16 is less than the 2005-06 figures, Bengal still tops the list in the east when it comes to marrying off girls before they turn 18.
Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and Odisha are the other states with such a trend but the numbers are lower than that of Bengal, the CINI report says.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. Cong Leader Flips On Web Series After Rahul Tweet
A city Congress leader who lodged a police complaint against the producers and an actor of web series ‘Sacred Games’ for using derogatory language against late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has had a change of heart after Rahul Gandhi tweeted against censorship.
On Saturday, Rahul tweeted: “BJP/RSS believe the freedom of expression must be policed and controlled. I believe this freedom is a fundamental democratic right. My father lived and died in the service of India. The views of a character on a fictional web series can never change that.”
(Source: The Times Of India)
3. City Fails to Clean Up Its Act
The city's annual average air pollution level is more than double the national limit and still rising in most parts of the city, a recently published report of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board has shown.
The report, a copy of which is with Metro, reveals that Calcutta's average PM10 pollutant value was 123.6 micrograms per cubic metre from April 2016 to March 2017 – more than double the national annual limit of 60 micrograms. PM10 is the fine particulate matter which, either individually or together with other toxic pollutants, can reach the respiratory system and cause pulmonary disorders, cardiac problems and even cancer.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. 36 Years On, Price Of Strike Catches Up
A four-month strike by Bengal government engineers during Left Front rule will now cost the state over Rs 1,700 crore, a study by the public works department suggests.
The study has blamed the 1982 cease-work for structural problems that have emerged in the Iswar Gupta Setu on the Hooghly, about 67km from Calcutta, necessitating the construction of a new bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 1,770 crore, Nabanna sources said.
Apart from pinning the blame on events during Left rule, the report strengthens chief minister Mamata Banerjee's case against strikes in government offices, which she had banned soon after coming to power in 2011.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. Baghajatin Residents Join Hands to Save Neighbourhood Park
The Baghajatin E Block Sishu Udyan, which had been lying in neglect for years, has found a fresh lease of life – courtesy the local residents’initiative and support from the government. Over a period of two years, residents have fixed the park and have volunteered to start a fund to pay for its upkeep, gifting the children a safe place to play in the evenings.
“Back in 2015, the park was in shambles as it never underwent any maintenance since the Aila storm of 2009. People started avoiding it and even though there was no other place for our children to play, we refused to let them in the park as it was unsafe. Then one day we found people conducting a survey in the area to install a mobile tower in the park. That day we realised that if we didn’t act immediately, the park would be gone forever,” said Tapan Banerjee, a retired Indian Navy official.
(Source: The Times Of India)
6. Former French Colony Celebrates With A Carnival
France won the world cup, but Chandernagore walked away with the award for being a sport.
From the riverfront to street corners, para clubs to parks with giant screens, Chandernagore residents between the ages of five to above 50 celebrated the finale of the biggest soccer carnival by turning their beautiful town into a France fan base.
From students to homemakers, politicians to cops, everybody gathered at the The Strand — Chandernagore’s beautiful riverfront — to catch the Fifa World Cup finale on the big screen and cheer for their team.
(Source: The Times Of India)
7. Coming Soon: Tagore’s ‘Handwritten’ Gitanjali
Admirers of Rabindranath Tagore have a unique gift awaiting them this Baishe Shrabon (7 August), his 77th death anniversary, when a facsimile edition of the poet’s personal copy of Gitanjali with his handwritten notes on the margins will be unveiled.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent visit to Visva-Bharati University as its acharya (chancellor), had mooted the idea of publishing the rare copy for mass circulation. The PM, during his visit to Sweden earlier this year, had gifted a replica of the first copy to the Nobel Museum, which now finds a pride of place among other memorabilia of Nobel laureates.
(Source: The Times Of India)
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