MALDA/BANKURA, 3 FEB: Nine babies at Malda Medical College and Hospital, and 10 babies at Bankura Sammiloni Medical College and Hospital have died in the last 48 hours. In Malda, health officials said the deaths were caused by low birth weights and malnutrition, the same causes they gave for previous deaths. Minister of state for health Chandrima Bhattacharya plans to visit Malda Monday in connection with the recent child deaths, and also attend a government function.

The spectre of infant deaths continued to haunt government hospitals in West Bengal, with 19 cases reported in Malda and Bankura over the past two days. While nine infants died in the Malda Medical College and Hospital, 10 children were reported dead in the Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital.

The babies who died in the Bankura hospital were “suffering from pneumonia and birth asphyxia, while some had low birth weight,” superintendent Panchanan Kundu said.

BANKURA/PURULIA, 24 JAN: Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today granted Rs 2,000 crore for providing safe drinking water to the people of Bankura district. “The Centre has approved Rs 1,000 crore for the first phase implementation of the project,” the minister said here today. Mr Ramesh held a meeting with Bankura district administrative official today. He urged the officials to lay more stress on the flagship MGNREGA project to address the crisis in the Maoist-hit blocks.

BANKURA, 29 NOV: The sale of chemical fertiliser in the black market has had an adverse effect on common farmers in various blocks of Bankura. This has hit potato cultivation, in particular, in the district.
Potato cultivation requires a judicious management of minor irrigation and chemical fertilisers. Nitrogen, phosphate and potassium in the ratio of 10:26:26, besides imported DAP, are the common fertilisers used by potato growers in Onda, Joypur, Kotulpur, Indas, Patrasayer, Simlapal and Bishnupur blocks. The district has set a target of potato cultivation on 32,000 hectares.

Calcutta, Nov. 23: The state government has decided to upgrade primary health centres to provide round-the-clock service, including “basic obstetrics” such as neo and post-natal care and child immunisation, the move aimed at reducing the burden of referrals on medical college hospitals in Calcutta.

Kolkata, 1 NOV: The Cabinet sub-committee on industry chaired by the chief minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee today gave its approval to the regularising of ceiling-excess land purchased by private investors who had signed agreements with various government departments, including Jindal Steel (JSW) and Patton, but attached a condition that the industrialists must complete their projects within the time stipulated in the deals inked with the government.

KOLKATA, 28 SEPT: The state public health engineering department will supply piped water to the arid districts of Purulia and Bankura from Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) by undertaking a Rs 2,600 crore project which would be funded by Japan International Coorporation Agency (JICA).
State PHE minister Mr Subrata Mukherjee announced this while releasing a “Vision 2020” document which promises that the department will ensure supply of at least 70 litres of water per head to the entire rural population by the end of the decade.

Chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee today urged the residents of low-lying areas to move to safer places in view of the forecast of heavy rains and release of water from DVC and Chandil barrages.