1. Citizenship Bill Opponents in Bengal Roll Up Sleeves
Protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) are intensifying in north Bengal with parties and organisations representing the Rajbanshis and the Gorkhas threatening movements.
On Wednesday, leaders of the Kamtapur Progressive Party (KPP) — which claims a substantial following among the Rajbanshis — said they would gherao BJP MPs from north Bengal.
“Tribals, Rajbanshis and Nasya Sheikhs (the Rajbanshi Muslims) are original inhabitants of north Bengal. In the CAB, protection has been provided to the residents of a number of states in the Northeast. It has been mentioned that CAB will not apply to areas where ILP (inner line permit) is in force and those under the Sixth Schedule,” said Atul Roy, the KPP president.
The KPP will hold a meeting on 14 December in Jalpaiguri’s Maynaguri to draw up plans for the movement.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. Items Struck Off Menu, Eateries Wait for Onion to Go Below Rs 100
The pricey onion has robbed Indian Coffee House (ICH) of its signature dish — the onion pakoda. For many regulars, this absence has made the experience at this iconic hangout zone as dull as curry without spices. The exorbitant price of the vegetable has also made two other dishes disappear — chicken and mutton afghani — which require generous doses of onion. And what’s worse is that ICH can’t tell customers when the pakoda will return.
The price of onion must dip below a certain level — at least under Rs 100 — to make the pakoda a viable option, said ICH secretary Tapan Kumar Pahari. “The onion pakoda is the mostordered dish here, along with coffee. We sell as many pakoda dishes as cups of coffee we make in a day,” he added.
Priced at Rs 26, which has remained unchanged through decades, the onion pakoda is pocket-friendly to the student community ICH serves. “Its taste is unmatched,” said Manoranjan Sardar, a teacher-cum-writer and a regular at ICH.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Police Issue ATM Alert; Accused Gives Aides’ Info
The city police has issued a new advisory on Wednesday informing ATM users about the various dangers of skimming. The development came on the day that Romanian Siliviu Florin Spiridon, 28, arrested by the anti-bank fraud section, revealed that two of his associates — who are absconding — have access to over 350 databases of ATM users, several of them from Kolkata. They also have 55 plastic cards where stolen data has been uploaded.
The cops have spoken extensively about the keypad overlay technique that Romanians are specializing in, along with skimming. “The use of a keypad overlay placed directly on top of the factory-installed keypad is a fairly new technique that takes the place of a concealed camera. Instead of visually recording users punching in their PINs, circuits in the fake keypad stores the actual keystrokes,” the advisory stated.
This is being used along with the hidden camera and the skimmer, which now have become common. Police have also warned of the use of live PIN-cameras that transit data instantly. Cops have asked all victims to forward their complaints to the anti-bank fraud helpline number at 8585063104.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Business Destination in Digha
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched an initiative to transform Digha, a dusty sea town in East Midnapore, into a tourism hotspot-cum-convention centre in Bengal by flagging off the state’s flagship business conclave at a venue 190km from Calcutta. The initiative yielded immediate results as two investors — Harsh Neotia and Nityananda Kundu — promised to set up a five-star and a four-star hotel, respectively. “We want to decentralise. We want to develop areas that are not developed,” said Mamata.
The presence of delegates from 20-odd countries and senior ministers from neighbouring Bhutan and Bangladesh, presentations on Bengal’s attractiveness as a business destination, exchange of MoUs and expression of interests — Day One of the conclave wasn’t much different from standard industry summits the state has been holding for the past several years.
The only difference was the selection of the venue for the Bengal Business Conclave as Mamata took care to explain that her aim was to promote Digha.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. Country’s Economy on a Downslide but Bengal Performing Well, Says Mamata
Urging the investors to treat West Bengal as their “sweet home”, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that despite the country’s economy on a downslide, West Bengal’s economy has been performing well on several macro-economic parameters like GDP growth, unemployment rate, industry growth and poverty alleviation.
Speaking at Bengal Business Conclave, an investor summit, in the coastal town of Digha, the CM said the state has been able to reduce unemployment by over 40 per cent and poverty alleviation rate is also high.
“Industry depends on economic situation. If I give you the picture of the economic situation in my country, I am not going to criticise, but sometimes reality bites. The reality is the doom and gloom economic condition of the country. Unemployment is highest in the last 45 years,” the Chief Minister said in her inaugural speech at the two-day conference.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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