Suvendu Adhikari announced a Rs 1,200-crore Ghatal Master Plan on Wednesday to prevent floods. He said work will start after Durga Puja and finish by June. Adhikari also slammed the previous government for high child marriage rates, saying, "The state must be completely freed from this social evil."
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced an allocation of Rs 1,200 crore to implement the Ghatal Master Plan for flood prevention in the area.
The announcement came while the chief minister was addressing a gathering after paying tributes to Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar on his 207th birth anniversary at his birthplace Birsingha in Ghatal of Paschim Medinipur district.
The Chief Minister assured that work on the master plan will begin on a war footing immediately after Durga Puja. He set a deadline to complete the project by June next year, before the arrival of the monsoon.
CM slams ex-TMC government over child marriages
Launching a scathing attack on the previous Trinamool Congress-led government, Adhikari blamed its "bad policies" for West Bengal having one of the highest number of child marriages in the country. He also said that Bengal has fallen to 31st place in the country's education system rankings due to the TMC's "flawed policies".
"Due to the wrong policies of the previous government, we could not be within the top ten in education. We are ranked 31st in education. But do you know what we are competing for number one with Jammu and Kashmir? In child marriage, and cases of pregnancy and childbirth among underage, daughter-like girls below 18 years of age. There is no room to hide this shame..." he said.
"From January 1 to June 30, I told the Health Secretary about institutional deliveries, or deliveries that took place in government hospitals, for our daughters below 18 years of age... Do you know how many were recorded? 60,000! Murshidabad came first with 13,000, and South 24 Parganas second with 9,000. It exists in other districts too... That is why Vidyasagar Mahashay is relevant today," the CM added.
Sharing his concern regarding high rates of underage pregnancy and child marriages in Bengal, Adhkari said, "This trend is deeply concerning. The state must be completely freed from this social evil, and our government is determined to achieve this at any cost."
According to the Bengali calendar, September 30 this year marked the 207th birth anniversary of iconic educationist and social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
Stock books of Vidyasagar, not Mamata: CM tells libraries
The BJP government has decided to remove former chief minister Mamata Banerjee's books from state-run and government school libraries, which was once mandatory for them.
"Vidyasagar left behind an immense treasure. This government will follow his path. There are numerous books, so do not buy 'Epang Opang Jhapang' (poem penned by Mamata Banerjee) anymore. Buy Vidyasagar's books and fill school libraries with them," he said.
The chief minister said a library at Birsingha would be developed into a museum. The government also plans to build cottages for researchers studying Vidyasagar and provide accommodation for tourists visiting the village, he said.
"Many people want to carry out research. I have asked the district magistrate to provide land to build special cottages for them." He also said a 'Vidyasagar Shishu Udyan', a community hall and new roads would be built, while solar lights would be installed in the village. The government would also improve the infrastructure of the local health centre and renovate libraries, he said.