Promises delivered, says West Bengal government

Kolkata, April 19 (IANS) The West Bengal government has released "Promises Delivered" -- a 168-page book about its achievements "not given due recognition" in the wake of an outcry by a section of the civil society and the media over the regime's actions.

The Rs.100 book, published by the Information and Cultural Department of the state government, carries a preface by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and provides data-based analysis of the performance of 57 departments under circumstances such as "financial constraints".

It is an updated version of the Bengali book, "Kichu Kotha Kichu Kaj" ("Some Words, Some Work"), that had marked the completion of 200 days of the new government.

The Trinamool Congress-Congress coalition government will complete a year in office May 20.

"Some, of course, are not able to take our progress against these odds in the proper spirit. Those publicity-mongering fault-finders are taking resort to false propaganda, slander and even conspiracies that effect people adversely. What were they doing for so many years? Taking a nap?" Banerjee is quoted as saying in the book's preface.

"Some are publicly criticising us without mentioning our good performances. This is an unmixed conspiracy...False statements are issued forth and facts and statistical data are being ignored," the preface reads.

Besides explaining the financial constraints of the new government, Banerjee also highlights some of its achievements, which are given in detail department-wise.

Creation of four police commissariats, arranging jobs for 5,000 adivasi youths and implementation of rural developmental schemes are some of the "achievements" the book has highlighted. It also carried photographs of the chief minister, and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar.

Around 10,000 copies of the book -- in English, Urdu and Santhali -- have been printed at the government-owned Saraswaty Press.

Over the past few months, the new government has drawn flak over police inaction in rape and molestation cases, farmer suicides, arrests of a scientist for agitating against eviction of slum dwellers and of a professor for a cartoon on the chief minister.

null