Bengal
The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCC&I) organized a Financial Awareness Conclave – “Wealth: Inclusion, Creation, Protection & Growth” on Friday, bringing together policymakers, regulators, bankers, and financial experts.
The conclave featured a series of engaging expert roundtable discussions. The session on “Envisaging Integrated Financial Ecosystems: MSME Growth through Credit, Cash Flow & Capital”, witnessed insightful deliberations from Mr. Shams Tabrez, DGM-SME, State Bank of India, and Mr. Ujjwal Chandra, Deputy Zonal Head, Central Bank of India, on strengthening credit access and sustainable growth pathways for MSMEs
A big fight inside the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has now reached the bank. Former party treasurer Aroop Biswas has written to HDFC Bank, asking them to freeze the party’s accounts containing hundreds of crores, claiming there is a major dispute over who really controls the party.
Unearthing vital, suppressed records surrounding the legislative inception of the state, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS) hosted a high-profile seminar titled “West Bengal: Revisiting its Past” on Saturday, June 20, 2026. Commemorating Paschimbanga Diwas—the historic day nearly eight decades ago when Bengal’s lawmakers voted to sever ties with the expanding map of East Pakistan—distinguished academics, researchers, and political leaders gathered to correct decades of distorted historical narratives. Delivering a compelling video address, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose, a veteran chartered accountant, meticulously detailed how the state’s creation was explicitly designed to dismantle a deep-seated conspiracy aimed at dragging the entire landmass into a theocratic state. Bose positioned Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee as the singular, far-sighted leading light who unified ideologically polarized legislators in 1947 to secure a safe homeland for Hindu Bengalis. Echoing these structural concerns, MAKAIAS Director Dr. Sarup Prasad Ghosh slammed past administrations for intentionally imposing historical amnesia on refugees, while issuing an urgent, data-driven warning regarding a sharp drop in native Bengali speakers and an active “demographic invasion” fueled by systemic illegal immigration from Bangladesh.
Just hours before the 2026 election bugle was sounded, Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee announced a ₹500 hike for Hindu priests and Muslim muezzins. By approving all new applications and raising monthly payments to ₹2,000, the TMC government has secured a final outreach to the state’s spiritual leaders before the Model Code of Conduct halted all new policy moves.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday warned that widespread use of microwaves and induction cooktops owing to the ongoing LPG cylinder shortage could trigger frequent power outages across the state and potentially the country as summer sets in and the power infrastructure is already burdened by rising consumption thanks to ACs and other cooling appliances.
A high-profile visit by President Droupadi Murmu to West Bengal has turned into a fierce political battle after she publicly criticized the state government for shifting a tribal conference to a remote venue. While PM Modi slammed the move as a deliberate insult to tribal culture, Mamata Banerjee dismissed the claims as BJP propaganda, sparking a national debate on constitutional decorum and state-centre relations.
In a surprise move, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has fast-tracked the first installment of the “Banglar Yuva Sathi” scheme, beginning direct bank transfers today, March 7, 2026. Originally set for April, the monthly ₹1,500 allowance for unemployed youth aged 21–40 aims to provide immediate financial relief for job seekers across the state
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose resigned on March 5, 2026, just weeks before the state’s Assembly elections. While Bose cited “sufficient time served” as his reason, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged the move resulted from central pressure. Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has been named to take over the post, sparking a fresh row over federal cooperation.
A sharp exchange of words has erupted between West Bengal Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal. After the CEO lectured officials on “service rules,” the Minister hit back by citing a past CBI chargesheet involving his family’s assets. Mr. Agarwal has dismissed the claims as an attempt to “give a dog a bad name and hang him,” pointing to a court acquittal and decades of transparent tax filings.
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