Latest news with #ParthaChatterjee
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
India as the world's fourth largest economy: What the numbers tell us
According to the latest projections by the IMF, India is now the world's fourth-largest economy. Government officials, including the CEO of NITI Aayog B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, have expressed confidence that India could soon overtake Germany to claim the third spot. Adding to the optimism, the World Bank recently reported that extreme poverty in the country fell to 5.3% in 2022–2023. A recent report by SBI noted that the poverty rate in India could now be in the range of 4%. But what do these numbers mean for the broader population? Guest: Partha Chatterjee, Dean of Academics at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, and Professor, Department of Economics, Shiv Nadar University. Host: Nivedita V Edited by Jude Francis Weston For more episodes of In Focus:
Time of India
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Explosive Developments in WBSSC Scandal: CBI Unveils Audio-Visual Evidence, ET LegalWorld
In a significant development in the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam, the CBI has accessed fresh audio-visual evidence that could unravel deeper layers of the alleged conspiracy. While the CBI has remained tight-lipped about the precise contents of these recordings, sources familiar with the investigation said the material includes conversations that shed light on how the scam was orchestrated and personally overseen by former state Education Minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee. The audio-visual content, according to sources, details how various stages of the recruitment fraud were planned and executed, implicating both senior officials of the WBSSC and representatives of NYSA, the private firm contracted to manage and preserve Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets for recruitment examinations. Advt Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis. Download ETLegalWorld App Get Realtime updates Save your favourite articles Scan to download App In light of this new evidence, the CBI has approached a special court in Kolkata seeking permission to collect voice samples of five individuals named in the chargesheet. These samples will be used to verify whether the voices heard in the recordings match those of the suspects. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 12, when the court will decide whether to allow the agency to the five individuals, three were formerly associated with the WBSSC, while the remaining two worked with NYSA. Investigators believe that the new material not only strengthens the case against Partha Chatterjee -- already identified by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as the principal architect of the scam -- but also helps establish the operational nexus between key players in the commission and the private April 30, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose granted prosecution sanction against both Partha Chatterjee and Manik Bhattacharya, a Trinamool MLA and former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE), in connection with the ED's Bhattacharya is currently out on bail, Chatterjee remains behind bars as investigations continue to uncover the breadth of the alleged scam that rocked the state's education recruitment system.
Hans India
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
WBSSC job case: CBI uncovers fresh audio-visual evidence pointing to deeper conspiracy
In a significant development in the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam, the CBI has accessed fresh audio-visual evidence that could unravel deeper layers of the alleged conspiracy. While the CBI has remained tight-lipped about the precise contents of these recordings, sources familiar with the investigation said the material includes conversations that shed light on how the scam was orchestrated and personally overseen by former state Education Minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee. The audio-visual content, according to sources, details how various stages of the recruitment fraud were planned and executed, implicating both senior officials of the WBSSC and representatives of NYSA, the private firm contracted to manage and preserve Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets for recruitment examinations. In light of this new evidence, the CBI has approached a special court in Kolkata seeking permission to collect voice samples of five individuals named in the chargesheet. These samples will be used to verify whether the voices heard in the recordings match those of the suspects. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 12, when the court will decide whether to allow the agency to proceed. Among the five individuals, three were formerly associated with the WBSSC, while the remaining two worked with NYSA. Investigators believe that the new material not only strengthens the case against Partha Chatterjee -- already identified by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as the principal architect of the scam -- but also helps establish the operational nexus between key players in the commission and the private vendor. On April 30, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose granted prosecution sanction against both Partha Chatterjee and Manik Bhattacharya, a Trinamool MLA and former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE), in connection with the ED's case. While Bhattacharya is currently out on bail, Chatterjee remains behind bars as investigations continue to uncover the breadth of the alleged scam that rocked the state's education recruitment system.
News18
17-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Another Lathi-Charge, Another Blow To Bengal's Broken Education System
Last Updated: The SSC recruitment scam is not merely about unemployed candidates being denied jobs. It is a reflection of how education in Bengal has been reduced to a cadre-parking scheme The chaos outside Bikash Bhavan in Kolkata — that unfolded dramatically on Thursday night as police baton-charged protesting teachers or the SSC candidates who lost jobs after the Supreme Court ruling — marks the second such crackdown since 21 April. The images are disturbing but not surprising. For those who have never lived in West Bengal, here is the context. The education system in the state has long ceased to be a sacred institution. And the scholarly society of Bengal, which once took immense pride in its literacy structure, has become a silent spectator. What remains today is a carcass, propped up by political patronage, bureaucratic apathy, and a den of deep-rooted corruption. The SSC recruitment scam is not merely about unemployed candidates being denied jobs or losing jobs. It is a reflection of how education in Bengal has been reduced to a cadre-parking scheme. The state's once-proud intellectual infrastructure has been hollowed out to make space for political foot soldiers, loyalists, and at times sycophants. This is not just hyperbole — it is reality. Former education minister Partha Chatterjee is currently behind bars, after central agencies seized mountains of cash and 'incriminating' documents allegedly linking him to illegal appointments. The stink of the scam reaches every level of the recruitment process, from school clerks to assistant teachers. The list of successful candidates included hundreds of relatives, friends, and acquaintances of politicians and people related to the Trinamool Congress, Bengal's ruling party. Even now, Mamata Banerjee's government has failed to establish a credible process to distinguish between legitimate candidates and those who paid bribes for jobs. Instead, the response has been to delay, deflect, and occasionally resort to force — including statements dishonouring the court's judgment. For the protesting candidates, many of whom have valid recommendation letters, this isn't just about employment. It is also about dignity, justice, and the right to be heard. When lathi-charges replace answers, governance has already failed. THE RED HAMMER But to be fair, this rot did not start yesterday. Mamata Banerjee or her party, the Trinamool Congress, are not the only ones responsible for such a degeneration of generations in the state. The politicisation of education in Bengal has deep roots — going as far back as the Left Front era. It was during this time that institutions like Calcutta University saw the first wave of ideological infiltration, along with the cadre-policy. References to 'Red hammers" weren't just metaphors. College and university campuses turned into strongholds of Marxist dominance. Merit took a back seat, while political affiliation became currency. The red hammer of Alimuddin Street (the CPM's headquarters in Kolkata) had hit not only Calcutta University — as portrayed so vividly by the late Professor Santosh Bhattacharyya in his book Red Hammer over Calcutta University — but had almost taken over the entire education system. The ABTA (All Bengal Teachers' Association), an affiliated body of the Left for teachers, captured control of the teacher recruitment system. However, money or corruption was not an overt part of such control; it was instead about ideological supremacy and the consolidation of power. Several infamous CPM leaders, accused of intimidation, crime or political violence, had been teachers. Many of them were headmasters of schools or principals of colleges. What Mamata Banerjee's government did was take that foundation and add a corrosive new layer — open corruption. If the Left hijacked ideology — communism and socialism — to build its campus base, the Trinamool Congress monetised it. The problem isn't only about ideology now — it is primarily about a decayed system that has become both politicised and profit-driven. This isn't just an education crisis. It is a civilisational one. Bengal once prided itself on its thinkers, educators, and reformers. Today, it is known for a series of paper leaks, lathi-charges, a rigged recruitment system, and scam-tainted ministers. Unless there is political will to clean up this mess, Bikash Bhavan (the state's education department) will see more such protests — and Bengal will continue to bleed its brightest minds. First Published: May 17, 2025, 09:28 IST
India Gazette
08-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Supreme Court directs West Bengal to allow prosecution of TMC-leader Partha Chatterjee, others accused in Cash-for-jobs scam
ANI 08 May 2025, 15:44 GMT+10 New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the West Bengal government to grant sanction for prosecuting TMC-leader Partha Chatterjee and other persons accused in the cash-for-jobs scam in the State. A bench led by Justice Surya Kant also stated that the instant bail plea filed by Chatterjee be tagged along with other such pleas to be heard together on July 17, this year. 'It is further directed that any other SLP filed against impugned order of 20th November 2024 of the High Court of Calcutta also be tagged along with the instant case', the Court noted in its order. The Court was hearing bail plea filed by Partha Chatterjee who is booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the scam where around 26,000 teachers and other school staff were recruited by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC). The entire recruitment was later held illegal by the Calcutta High Court and subsequently the High Courts' decision was also upheld by the Supreme Court which had termed the recruitment as 'tainted'and based on 'large-scale fraud'. In July 2022, the ED arrested Chatterjee, the former West Bengal Education Minister and TMC leader. Chatterjee was previously lodged at the Presidency Correctional Home in May this year. The Enforcement Directorate had earlier recovered over Rs 21 crore in cash from the house of an associate of Chatterjee. TMC had suspended Chatterjee, from the party after his arrest. (ANI)
