The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has directed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government to submit a fresh list of candidates for the post of the Director General of Police (DGP). The post fell vacant on December 28, 2023 after the retirement of Manoj Malviya. Since then, the senior IPS DGP Rajeev Kumar, who is reportedly close to the CM, has been serving as acting DGP. Kumar is an IPS officer of 1989 batch and will retire on January 31. Sources in the home department at the state secretariat Nabanna said that the government has already sent the revised list to the UPSC on Wednesday within hours of the CAT directive.
Interim state budget scheduled for Feb 2
The interim budget of the West Bengal government is scheduled to be placed before the state legislative Assembly on February 2, a day after the Central Government budget is presented in the LoK Sabha on February 1. The full budget of the state will be placed in the Assembly after new government is formed after the assembly polls in the state. Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay said that session in the Bengal Assembly will be held between January 31 and February 5. Political observers felt that the flashpoint of the Union budget this time would be significant if the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announces measures for election-bound states.
Toddler falls into lift shaft, succumbs
In a tragic incident, a three-year-old boy fell into the lift shaft of an under-construction building on Wednesday in the eastern part of Kolkata. He later succumbed to his injuries. The incident happened when the toddler, along with his mother, went to the roof of the four-storied building and fell into the shaft. After hours of searching, he was found lying unconscious on the ground floor of the lift shaft. He was rushed to the nearby Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead. According to the police, the baby remained unnoticed because his mother was drying clothes at the time.
Subhendu Maiti
Our correspondent in West Bengal
subhendu.maiti@newindianexpress.com