Bengal to upgrade schools & ICDS centres, to tie up with ADB for Rs 4,648-cr projects

Kolkata: The Bengal govt is partnering with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for projects worth Rs 4,648 crore to upgrade secondary schools and ICDS centres in the state. The plan, under which ADB will provide 70% of the funding, was approved by the state cabinet on Thursday.State education minister Bratya Basu said schools will undergo upgrade and modernisation to make them more attractive for young students. The cabinet decided to upgrade one school from each block and two schools from each of the 87 backward blocks, targeting a total of 430 state-aided schools. The state will bear 30% of the total project cost.
The infrastructure development list includes new buildings and smart classrooms equipped with digital facilities. Basu said laboratories, libraries and even toilets would be built with modern amenities. "There will also be ramps for the specially-abled," he added.Kitchens for mid-day meals will be improved under this scheme. The state govt also plans to recruit teachers specifically for English-medium instruction.Basu explained that the goal was to attract more students by offering instructions in both English and Bengali, catering to the current demand for English-medium education. "The schools will also offer vocational courses and enhancement facilities through bridge course programmes," he said. Schools will be selected based on reports from district inspectors (DIs) and district magistrates (DMs), and some upper primary schools will also be upgraded.Basu said that headmasters will be tasked with school development and regular evaluations would be conducted to assist the teaching process. Shifts in pedagogy are intended to make learning more engaging for students.State finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the state govt will receive ADB aid to upgrade 50,000 ICDS centres. The project cost is Rs 2,148 crore, with the state exchequer contributing Rs 644.4 crore as its share. The state has 1.9 lakh ICDS centres manned by 2 lakh anganwadi workers. The minister said the state govt has recently hiked the allowance for these workers by Rs 1,000.Bhattacharya noted that while ICDS was a central scheme, it lacked sufficient central funds, prompting the state to step in to modernise the facilities.The ADB aid will help enhance ICDS facilities, aiming to create a better environment for pre-school children who attend these centres for food and nutrition. There will also be capacity-building programmes for workers and supervisors to improve professionalism. Bhattacharya said the state govt will begin processing the project within a month, with a completion timeline of 5 years.State govt to buy potatoes at MSPKolkata: Bengal govt will buy 12 lakh tonnes of potatoes at a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 9.5 per kg to prevent distress sale, it was decided at a state cabinet meeting on Thursday, panchayat minister Pradip Majumdar said, reports Debashis Konar.Majumdar said the step was taken because there was surplus production of potatoes of the "Jyoti" variety this season."The state govt will purchase up to 3,500 kg from a single farmer," the minister said, adding that the govt had taken similar steps on five occasions previously.He further said that favourable weather had ensured that potatoes do not catch blight disease, which typically happens in high-moisture environments, leading to the bumper crop.He noted that while there was no embargo on exports, prices were falling in other states too which is why farmers are reluctant to sell their produce elsewhere.