Govt working on state emblem, says Mamata

ENS, KOLKATA, FEBRUARY 4: The state is planning to give itself an official emblem, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the Assembly on Friday. She said officials have already been tasked with the work but gave no timeline to this effect.

This wasn't the first time that a proposal for an emblem has come up in the Assembly. Earlier, after the Assembly passed a resolution that said that the state's name would be read `Bangla' in Bengali,'Bengal' in English and 'Bangal' in Hindi - the CM had spoken of a state emblem.

"Many states have their own emblem and we are planning to have an emblem for our state;' she said on Friday.

While she didn't spell it out, officials admitted that this was a larger part of Mamata's insistence of federal independence.

"It is important for the people of Bengal to appreciate, remember and be proud of their own unique history. The vision for the emblem is that it should capture the unique history and culture of the state. Bengal is different from the rest of India and that is what makes it such and integral part of India," said the official.

An official added that at one point of time it was suggested that the Biswa Bangla logo be adopted as the state emblem, but that was cancelled.