West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced that an AIIMS, an IIT, an IIM and a cancer hospital would be set up in north Bengal while directing officials to improve the lives of tea garden workers across the region.
The announcements came during Adhikari’s first administrative review meeting in Siliguri after taking oath as Chief Minister on May 9.
Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista said the Chief Minister stressed urgent improvement in healthcare and educational infrastructure in north Bengal and assured that the proposed institutions would come up across different districts.
Highlighting the importance of the tea industry, Bista said Adhikari focused extensively on the welfare of tea garden workers. More than five lakh people are directly employed in tea gardens across north Bengal, while nearly 20 lakh people depend indirectly on the sector.
The Chief Minister directed the Tea Board and officials to study Assam’s tea garden welfare model and examine how similar benefits could be implemented in Bengal.
He also ordered implementation of the Centre’s Chai Srameek Yojana, alleging that benefits worth Rs 350 crore had remained blocked for the last three years under the previous TMC government.
125-day job scheme to replace MGNREGA model
Bista said Adhikari announced that the Centre’s “VB G RAM G” scheme, offering 125 days of guaranteed employment, would be implemented in West Bengal from June, replacing the earlier 100-day MGNREGA model.
The Chief Minister also assured tea garden workers residing inside estates that they would receive land rights and said welfare schemes introduced by the previous government would continue.
Adhikari directed authorities to issue no-objection certificates for development projects without delay and stressed the need for special development initiatives in border areas adjoining Bangladesh and Nepal.
Border fencing, anti-drug drive and violence probes
The Chief Minister said land had already been allotted for fencing the India-Bangladesh border and called for “zero tolerance” against illegal activities, including drug trafficking.
He also directed police to submit reports on incidents of political violence, including the alleged attack on BJP MP Khagen Murmu during floods in Nagrakata last year and the 2023 police firing incident in Kaliaganj.
According to BJP MLA Sankar Ghosh, Adhikari asked the administration and police to function “fearlessly” and promised jobs for the families of BJP workers allegedly killed during the previous TMC regime.
The Chief Minister also stressed disaster preparedness in flood-prone hills and Dooars regions and said municipal elections in north Bengal, particularly in the hills, would be held after the monsoon.
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