₹50,000 Transfer Relief for Bengal Govt Employees!
West Bengal government employees subject to transfers will now have access to a revised financial benefit to help meet relocation costs. The state has introduced a Composite Transfer and Packing Grant, replacing the earlier system of separate transfer grants and packing allowances. The new arrangement provides a lump-sum payment of up to ₹50,000 or 80% […]
Rakhi Morning on the Pavement: Agnimitra Paul Joins the Celebration
Kolkata woke up to a warm Raksha Bandhan morning on Friday as West Bengal minister Agnimitra Paul visited several parts of the city to join pavement dwellers and other residents in the celebrations. She tied rakhis to auto-rickshaw drivers and distributed chocolates and laddus among children living on the pavements. Paul’s celebration was part of […]
25 Lakh Rakhis, ₹9 Crore: Bengal’s Statewide Rakhi Celebration
West Bengal is celebrating Raksha Bandhan as a state-wide festival for the first time, taking celebrations across districts, municipalities, blocks and more than 3,000 gram panchayats. The state has sanctioned nearly ₹9 crore for the programmes and arranged 25,60,500 rakhis for distribution across Bengal. The main state-level event is being held at Nazrul Mancha in […]
Homebound and Stuck! Park Street Metro Fault Disrupts Rush Hour
Kolkata Metro’s Blue Line services were disrupted during Thursday evening’s rush hour after a rake developed a fault at Park Street station, leaving commuters facing delays and partial services across the central stretch. Metro authorities said the affected rake had a problem that prevented normal operations. Services were later restored at around 7.30pm. The disruption […]
Garfa Child Assault: Neighbour Held, Questions Over Medical Delay
A 55-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl inside a residential complex in Garfa, south Kolkata, after the child’s cries alerted neighbours to the incident. Police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act following a complaint by the girl’s family. The child has […]
4,133 Empty Schools: Bengal’s Education Crisis Exposed
The school education system in West Bengal has revealed a striking imbalance, with 4,133 schools reporting zero student enrolment despite having 19,502 teachers, while another 6,769 schools have only one teacher serving a combined 2,29,569 students, according to the Union government’s UDISE+ 2025-26 report. The statistics, published in July and uploaded to the Union Education […]
Who Will Run Kolkata Book Fair 2027?
The West Bengal government has announced a major restructuring of the International Kolkata Book Fair ahead of its 50th season, constituting a 24-member high-powered advisory board to guide the organisation and planning of the 2027 fair, which is scheduled to be held from January 22 to February 3. The move follows meetings at Nabanna on […]
91% Restored: Questions Mount Over Bengal’s SIR
West Bengal’s controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has come under renewed scrutiny after Election Commission data showed that 75,443, or 91.13%, of the 82,782 appeals disposed of by appellate tribunals so far resulted in voters being added back to the electoral rolls. The figures, revealed through an RTI response obtained by Congress […]
“No One Offered Milk”: The Pavement Row Turns Political
Something that began as an anti-encroachment drive on a Kolkata pavement has rapidly turned into a wider argument about poverty, public space, governance and political responsibility. The controversy began on Saturday when West Bengal Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul confronted a woman living on a pavement on Free School Street during an […]
30 Cars Gone in Hours: What Really Happened at the Airport-Area Showroom Fire?
A massive fire broke out at a car showroom and service centre on Jessore Road in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, near Kolkata airport, in the early hours of Monday, August 24. Police said the blaze was reported at around 4:45 am and spread rapidly through the premises. At least 30 vehicles were gutted, according to […]