Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with a landowner in Kolkata on Wednesday. CMO A total of 203 landowners were on Wednesday handed over employment letters, leases and compensation cheques on behalf of the state government, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday. A compensation package of Rs 10,000 crore has been earmarked for those affected by the Deocha Pachami coal mining project in Birbhum district.
Banerjee said, “We will employ women in social work. Jobs will be generated for more than one lakh youths. Many have been given jobs as police constables. Different industries will be created. Local residents will be given jobs. As many as 5,100 posts have been created. We have to ensure that no one is deprived. Whoever will give land is being paid more than double (as compensation). Roads are being built.”
Speaking after a meeting with industry heads in the run-up to the Bengal Global Business Summit scheduled this year, the CM said, “Bengal is going to be the destination of industry in the future.” The goal now is to “build industry, build infrastructure, attract investment and create employment,” the CM told industrialists and top bureaucrats of the state.
Banerjee said, “We have done social work, starting from Lakshmi Bhandar to Kisan Bandhu. Now, we are focusing more on industry and employment. We have already done a lot. Unemployment (in the state) has come down by around 40 per cent. Despite that, more industries will be created.” The Chief Minister added, “Also, the number of social security schemes in Bengal is unmatched anywhere else in the country.”
She expressed hope that more jobs would be created in Bengal in the coming days. In the past ten years, around Rs 4.5 lakh crore has been invested in industry, she said, adding that there are “some big projects in the pipeline.” She said, “These industrial projects will change the overall picture of the industry in the state. Tender for Tajpur port has already been called. It will have an investment of Rs 15,000 crore and create jobs for many youngsters.”
In a reference to the protests against the Deocha Pachami project, the CM recently said, “Some people are misleading local residents. Don’t misunderstand me by listening to some mine owners.” She added, “The environmental aspect will be taken into consideration so that there is no problem. There will be no coercion.”
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