CM stress on buses, tourists

TT, Calcutta, June 3: Mamata Banerjee today spoke about social welfare schemes and laid stress on introducing more buses at the first administrative meeting of her second term as chief minister.

Some officials said the chief minister did not make any reference to industry, but others pointed out she was not expected to do so at an administrative meeting.

Mamata was learnt to have instructed bureaucrats on projects like the cheap food grain scheme, 100 days' work in rural areas, inclusion of the maximum number of minority students under the pre-Matric scholarship and making karmatirtha - marketing hubs where unemployed youths will be given stalls - operational.

Sources said she also focused on completion of rural electrification and attracting more tourists to Calcutta during Durga Puja.

"But she did not say anything on industry or IT.... These are two areas the government needs to emphasise on if the chief minister wants to achieve her goal," a government official said.

The official's reference to "goal" relates to a government resolution on May 27 that laid stress on creation of jobs.

"In the days ahead, our focus will also be on our young generation, creation of more employment opportunities and on overall development of quality of life for all," the resolution read.

At a news conference the same day, Mamata was asked how her government planned to create jobs for youths in the next five years.

She had replied: "We have asked everyone to come up with suggestions.... If you have some, you are also free to give them to me."

Sources said none of the officials present at the Town Hall meeting today suggested anything regarding creation of jobs.

"We were not asked to.... The chief minister had said in the beginning that she wanted to give instructions," a bureaucrat said.

Insiders in the chief minister's office said Mamata was holding meetings with departments and suggesting ways to improve their performance. "She is expected to give suggestions to the IT and industry departments as well," a CMO official said.

Mamata was learnt to have told the officials today that she would not allow any project to be handed over to agencies without e-tendering.