State to observe Students' Day every year on Jan 1

KOLKATA: The state government will observe January 1 as Students' Day every year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Wednesday. Bengal becomes the first state in the country to have earmarked a day for the welfare and development of students.

While addressing the administrative review meeting at Barasat, the Chief Minister said: "Every year, we observe January 1 as Students' Day. The students are the future of our state and we are proud of them. We observe Kanyashree Day on August 14. We are always behind the students and we give them every support so that they can go ahead with higher education."

Expressing her displeasure over the performance of several municipalities in North 24-Parganas, Banerjee said: "It is most unfortunate that the chairmen of several municipalities are not performing well. This will not be tolerated. We cannot afford to neglect the people and deprive them of civic amenities. The municipalities that will perform well will be rewarded while those that fail to work will be pulled up," she said. She said the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs department will depute one observer in all the 125 municipalities to oversee the work that is being carried out by the civic bodies.

"Carry out a detailed survey and give me the report," she asked Khalil Ahmed, principal secretary of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs department.

Banerjee said every civic body should work to make their areas "clean and green. Our prerogatives include improvement of roads and their regular cleaning and providing drinking water to every household." Talking about the great success of Duare Sarkar, the Chief Minister said for North 24-Parganas it would be conducted in two phases. The first phase will be held from January 2 to 10, 2022 and the second phase will be held from January 20 to 30. "Ours is the government for Ma, Mati and Manus and we will continue to work for them to the best of our abilities," the Chief Minister remarked.

Banerjee asked the peoples' representatives to give more time in their respective areas.

"You will have to receive telephone calls and listen to the grievances of the people. I receive complaints that many MLAs do not receive phone calls and often switch them off. This will not be tolerated. Serve the people and this is a round the clock job."

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy and Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, state ministers Sujit Bose, Jyotipriya Mullick, Bratya Basu and Rathin Ghosh attended the meeting. State Chief secretary HK Diwedi, home secretary BP Gopalika and director general of police Manoj Malaviya also attended the meeting.