National News
Bengal presents Rs 3.89 lakh crore budget; DA enhanced, housing scheme gets higher allocation

Kolkata, Feb 12: Amid the crucial Assembly polls due next year in West Bengal, Minister of State for Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya, on Wednesday, presented a Rs 3,89,194.09 crore budget for the financial year 2005-26 at the floor of the state Assembly with enhanced dearness allowance and higher budgetary allocation for the state’s own affordable housing scheme for the poor being the main attractions of the budget proposals.
The budget size was Rs 3,66,116 crore.
Bhattacharya announced an increase in the dearness allowance for the state government employees by four percentage points to 18 per cent from the current rate of 14 per cent. The new rate will be applicable from April 1, 2025.
However, the enhancement has not made the state government employees happy considering that even after the increase, the gap with the dearness allowance enjoyed by the central government employees remains quite high at 35 per cent.
The Union government employees are currently receiving a dearness allowance at the rate of 53 per cent. This is the last full state budget before the Assembly election due next year.
However, what has come as a surprise for many is that, although largely expected, even in the last full budget before the Assembly elections, there was no proposal for an increase in the amount paid under Lakshmir Bhandar, the monthly dole scheme for women in the state.
The amount paid under the scheme will remain the same — Rs 1,000 for women in the general category and Rs 1,200 for the women under the reserved category.
The main sectors where the budgetary allocations had been substantially increased include housing, road infrastructure, health and education.
Under ‘Banglar Bari’ (Bengal’s House), the state government’s own affordable housing scheme for the poor, a proposal was mooted to construct 16 lakh additional houses and hence an additional Rs 9,600 crore has been allocated for the scheme.
For the development of road infrastructure under the ‘Pathashree’ scheme, an additional allocation of Rs 1,500 crore has been made in the budget proposals.
For higher education, budgetary allocation for 2025-26 has been earmarked at Rs 6,593.58 crore, while an amount of Rs 41,153 crore has been set aside for school education.
The budgetary allocation for the health sector has been announced at Rs 21,355 crore for 2025.26. The allocation for the fiscal under review for rural development and panchayat affairs has been fixed at 44,000 crore.
On Wednesday, Bhattacharya announced that the state government will provide smartphones to 70,000 accredited social health activists (ASHA) workers.
She also announced a new scheme christened ‘Nadi Bandhan’, aimed at the prevention of river banks at different river banks and allocated Rs 2000 crore for that project. An amount of Rs 500 crore was allocated for the construction of a new bridge at Sagar Islands, the venue for the annual Gangasagar Mela.
Maharashtra
171 Maharashtra Tourists Safe, Search On For Missing Woman In landslide-hit Uttarakhand

Mumbai: A woman tourist from Maharashtra has remained untraceable since landslide and flash floods hit Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, state Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said on Saturday.
The minister’s office in a statement said that 171 out of the 172 tourists from Maharashtra, who were stranded in the Dharali area, could be contacted, and they were all confirmed safe.
The Statement
“Only one person, Kritika Jain, is still missing, but the authorities are trying to locate her. Efforts are underway to establish contact with the tourist, and the Uttarakhand State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) has been instructed to conduct a search for her,” the statement said.
Of the 171 tourists from Maharashtra, 160 are safe at various locations – 31 are in Matli, six in Jolly Grant, and 123 in Uttarkashi – and have continued their journey as planned. The remaining 11 tourists are safe in Harsil and will be airlifted to safety, it stated.
Mahajan is overseeing the rescue operation on-site in Uttarkashi to ensure the safety of tourists.
The Maharashtra State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) is in constant touch with its Uttarakhand counterpart, the district control room, the district emergency operations centre in Uttarkashi, and the National Emergency Response Centre in New Delhi.
According to the statement, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is monitoring the situation.
As per information shared by Uttarakhand authorities, the airlift of tourists stranded in Harsil was scheduled for Saturday morning. Army, NDRF, SDRF and local rescue teams are operational in Dharali.
The landslide and floods have damaged roads and disrupted communication networks. Efforts are underway to restore connectivity and basic infrastructure.
A satellite phone has been deployed by IGP Rajeev Swaroop, and the Army has been alerted for immediate response.
The Maharashtra SEOC is coordinating rescue arrangements, updating information, and assisting the concerned families, the statement added.
National News
‘Hurt By US President Donald Trump’s Tariff Attack, PM Modi Now Posing As Farmers’ Defender,’ Says Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for attempting to portray himself as a champion of Indian farmers, after being “hurt and subdued” by recent criticism from US President Donald Trump.
Ramesh recalled the 2020-21 farmers’ protests against the three farm laws, alleging that the Prime Minister mocked the agitators by calling them “protest enthusiasts” in Parliament. He claimed that over 700 farmers lost their lives during the protests, yet the Prime Minister expressed no regret or sympathy.
“Five years ago, there was a time when the Prime Minister, in Parliament, mocked the protesting farmers by calling them ‘protest enthusiasts.’ More than 700 farmers lost their lives during the protests against three black, anti-farmer laws, but not a single word of pain, regret, or sympathy came from the Prime Minister’s mouth for them. Farmer organizations are still demanding a legal guarantee for MSP, calculated by adding 50% profit to the total cost of production (C2), along with concrete debt relief. The Prime Minister remains completely silent on these demands, even though these same issues were raised by India’s former Vice President,” he posted on X.
“In November 2019, the Prime Minister was fully prepared to include India in the RCEP trade agreement, which could have caused significant harm to Indian farmers and dairy producers. However, due to persistent pressure from the Congress Party and farmer organisations, Prime Minister Modi had to back down at the last moment,” he added.
He further took a jibe, saying, “Now, hurt and subdued by Trump’s attacks, PM Modi is trying to present himself as the greatest champion of Indian farmers, but no one is under any illusion about this.”
On Thursday, in a message against the tariffs imposed by the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that farmers remain India’s top priority and that the country would never compromise their interests.
“For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers. I know we will have to pay a heavy price for it, and I am ready for it. India is ready for it,” PM Modi said while addressing the MS Swaminathan Centenary International Conference.
His remarks come amid the Trump administration doubling the tariff imposition to 50 per cent on goods from India. During trade negotiations, the United States was pushing for greater access to India’s agricultural market, especially for corn, soybeans, and cotton.
However, India has so far resisted the opening of the agricultural sector and dairy products due to concerns about domestic livelihoods and potential impacts on farmers.
National News
28 Tourists From Kerala, Maharashtra Feared Missing After Uttarakhand Cloudburst And Landslides

Kochi: A 28-member group of tourists, who are natives of Kerala, has gone missing after a cloudburst triggered massive mudslides in Uttarakhand, family members said on Wednesday.
Of the 28 individuals, 20 are reportedly from Kerala settled in Maharashtra, while the remaining eight are from various districts in Kerala, a relative of one of the couples in the group told the media.
She said the couple’s son last spoke to them a day ago.
“They said they were leaving from Uttarkashi to Gangotri at around 8.30 am that day. The landslides occurred along that route. We have been unable to contact them since they left,” she said.
She added that the Haridwar-based travel agency, which arranged the 10-day Uttarakhand tour, was also unable to provide any update on the group’s whereabouts.
“Their phones may have run out of battery by now. There is no mobile network in that region currently,” she said.
At least four people have been confirmed dead in the disaster that struck Dharali, an ecologically fragile region in Uttarakhand, following the cloudburst on Tuesday afternoon.
Officials said nearly half of Dharali was buried under a massive mudslide of slush, debris, and water. The village is a key stop on the route to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganga, and hosts several hotels and homestays.
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