Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 2 (ANI): A woman from the Sundarbans carried her husband, a person with a disability, on her back to attend a public grievance meeting organised by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the BJP office in Salt Lake, Kolkata, seeking assistance for an electric vehicle and housing support.
The couple travelled to the state capital to place their concerns before the Chief Minister during the ‘Janta Darbar’, where members of the public were given an opportunity to directly raise their grievances.
Speaking to ANI, Sanyasi Mandal said he and his wife had come from the Sundarbans region in the hope of receiving assistance from the state government, adding that Adhikari has assured that the problem will be resolved within the next week.
“I have come from the Sunderbans. I am helpless and in need of an electric vehicle. She (his wife) did not receive any benefits from Lakshmir Bhandar, and as a person with a disability, I went up to the stage to request a house of my own. The CM assured us that our problem will be solved within 7 days,” he said.
According to Mandal, apart from seeking an electric vehicle to improve his mobility, the family also raised concerns regarding the non-receipt of benefits under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme and requested housing assistance.
The public grievance meeting was organised as part of the state government’s outreach efforts, allowing citizens from different parts of West Bengal to directly present their issues before the Chief Minister and concerned authorities.
Earlier on Monday, West Bengal witnessed a major cabinet expansion with 35 new ministers taking oath at Lok Bhawan in Kolkata.
Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers, taking the total strength of the Council of Ministers to 41 under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s administration. The expansion is being viewed as a significant exercise aimed at strengthening governance and administrative functioning across departments.
MLAs Dipak Barman, Arjun Singh, Shankar Ghosh, Gauri Shankar Ghosh, Tapash Roy, Manoj Kumar Oraon, Jagannath Chattopadhyay, Ajoy Poddar, Swapan Dasgupta, Sharadwat Mukherjee and Kalyan Chakraborti were among those sworn in as new ministers.
Among those sworn in were MLAs Dipak Barman, Arjun Singh, Shankar Ghosh, Gauri Shankar Ghosh, Tapash Roy, Manoj Kumar Oraon, Jagannath Chattopadhyay, Ajoy Poddar, Swapan Dasgupta, Sharadwat Mukherjee and Kalyan Chakraborti.
The swearing-in ceremony took place three weeks after 55-year-old Adhikari assumed office as Chief Minister on May 9, following the BJP’s victory in 208 of the 294 assembly seats. The win paved the way for the party’s first government in the state, bringing an end to Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule.
The cabinet presents a balanced mix of senior leadership, organizationally strong functionaries, socially representative faces, and professionally accomplished individuals, with the average age of ministers pegged at 57 years. Four ministers are below the age of 50, with Mathabhanga MLA Nishith Pramanick emerging as the youngest member of the cabinet.
The cabinet also reflects strong educational credentials, with 83 per cent of ministers (15 members) holding graduate or higher degrees and nearly 67 per cent (12 members) possessing postgraduate qualifications or above. Three cabinet members also hold PhD degrees.
The composition of the cabinet reflects representation across 13 distinct caste groups, including representation from 8 of the top 10 caste groups in West Bengal. (ANI)
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