WB govt provides food security to 90 per cent people: Mamata
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said her government was providing food security to 90 per cent people in the state in a scheme under which food grains at Rs 2 per kg or half the market price are given to the beneficiaries. Banerjee also said that special assistance was also being given to the people of once Maoist-hit Jangalmahal, hill areas, cyclone ‘Aila’ affected region and Singur. “Remembering the martyrs of 1959 Khadya Andolan (food movement). In Bangla, we provide food security to 90% (8.59 crore) of the state’s people through the Khadya Sathi scheme under which food grains at Rs 2 per kilogramme or half the market rate are provided to the beneficiaries,” Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle. “We also provide rice and wheat through PDS to the families of tea garden workers and to the Toto tribe in north Bengal,” she said. West Bengal had witnessed a mass movement in the late 1958 by the then undivided CPI and other left groups protesting against the food crisis. The movement for food (Khadya Andolon) reached its peak in August 1959. (PTI)
SC stays declaration of SSC 2017 exam results
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the declaration of results for the 2017 examination held for selection of staff for government departments and ministries, saying it appeared from the first look that the entire test was tainted. The top court observed that it cannot permit people to benefit from the “tainted” 2017 SSC (Staff Selection Commission) Combined Graduate Level and senior secondary level examination and get into service. A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao stayed the declaration of the results after perusing a status report of the CBI in which aspersions have been cast on several SSC officials and the custodian of the examination paper. “It prima facie appears that the entire SSC system is tainted and entire examinations (2017) are tainted. It can’t be believed that the custodian of the examination paper is himself leaking the paper,” the bench said. The top court also pulled up Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee, appearing for CBI, for taking a stand to defend the officials of SSC, a government body which conducts examinations to recruit staff at multiple levels in various ministries and departments. SSC Combined Graduate Level exam has a four-tier system, in which tier I and tier II are computer-based, while in tier III and IV, job applicants take up a descriptive paper and a computer proficiency test or skill test. (PTI)
Woman commits suicide after police refuse to file FIR
Shahjahanpur (UP): A 28-year-old woman, who was allegedly raped by a man, died after she set herself ablaze in a police station here following which three policemen were suspended, an official said on Friday. The woman’s husband Ramvir has alleged that she was upset after police refused to file an FIR in the case and they were exerting pressure on the victim to reach a compromise with the accused, Vinay Kumar. On August 29, the woman was rushed to a district hospital, where she succumbed to injuries, the official said. Her husband has lodged a case of rape and abetment to suicide. Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police S N Chinappa said three policemen, including police station in-charge Subhash Kumar and sub-inspectors Lal Singh Rana and Lokesh Kumar, were suspended in this connection. Vinay Kumar was also arrested, Chinappa said, adding that strict action will be taken against all those who forced the accused and the victim to reach an understanding in this connection. SP (Rural) Subhash Chandra Shakya was sent to Son village to probe the matter, he said. (PTI)
Census 2021 will collect data on OBCs
New Delhi: Census 2021 will for the first time collect data on Other Backwards Castes, the Home Ministry said on Friday. Census 2021 will be finalised in three years after conducting the census instead of seven to eight years now, a home ministry spokesperson said. “It is also envisaged to collect data on OBCs for the first time,” he added. The disclosure came after Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the preparation for the Census 2021. The minister discussed the road map for undertaking the census in 2021. It was emphasised that improvements in design and technological interventions be made to ensure that the data is finalised within three years of the census being conducted. At present, it takes seven to eight years to release the complete data. Nearly 25 lakh enumerators are trained and engaged for the gigantic exercise. Accurate collection of data will be ensured in Census 2021, an official said. The use of maps and geo-referencing at the time of house listing is also under consideration. The minister stressed the need for improvement in the civil registration system, especially registration of births and deaths in remote areas and strengthening sample registration system for estimating data such as Infant Mortality Rate, Maternal Mortality Ratio and Fertility Rates. (PTI)