Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unveiling the State logo at Nabanna on Friday. (Source: Express photo by Subham Dutta)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched the state logo on Friday while reiterating that work to change the name of the state is also underway. The new logo has the National Emblem (Lion Capital of Ashoka) and the first vernacular alphabet of the word ‘Bengal’ placed in the middle.
“This is a historic moment. When we found that the state did not have a logo even after 70 years after Independence, we designed one and sent it to the Centre for approval. It is a day of pride for us as well as a gift of the New Year.” said Banerjee during the inauguration ceremony at Nabanna (state secretariat).
“This new logo will be used in all government documents, including government letterheads,” she added.
The logo designed by the Chief Minister herself was approved by the Centre on Wednesday.
Chief Secretary Malay Kumar De said the national emblem is incorporated in the logo and, therefore, the government does not need to print it separately on stationery or other mediums.
The state government has already proposed to change the name of West Bengal to ‘Bangla’. “The matter of changing the name of West Bengal is also being pursued. We will announce it when we obtain the permission,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee, who is an enthusiastic painter and writer, had been creating designs for community Pujas and the state government. She has designed ‘Biswa Bangla’ logo, the umbrella logo for promoting various schemes and programmes of the state. She has also designed special flags for the vehicles of IAS officers of the state cadre following the ban on the use of red beacons by the central government. The flags with blue as base colour were of three different shapes and size, varying according to ranks and designations of the IAS Officers.
The ‘Biswa Bangla’ logo was, however, mired into controversy, after Mukul Roy, who joined the BJP from Trinamool Congress (TMC), alleged that the logo was registered under the name of Banerjee’s nephew and party MP Abhishek Banerjee. The state government, however, denied the allegations.