Bureaucratic structure of Bengal CMO overhauled under new CM

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Kolkata, May 10 (IANS) Within less than 24 hours of taking oath, newly sworn‑in West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has carried out a sweeping overhaul of the bureaucratic structure in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) at the state secretariat.

As many as 16 bureaucrats attached to the earlier CMO led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have been replaced by new officers. Of these, the most prominent name among the erstwhile officers who have been shifted out of the CMO is Santanu Mukhopadhya, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 2014 batch and also considered an extremely close confidant of Mamata Banerjee.

Staff attached to the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee-headed CMO, Pratap Nayek, who is also the all-in-all in the Trinamool Congress-affiliated West Bengal Government Employees’ Federation, had been transferred to the faraway Palbazar Block Development office at Bijanbari in Darjeeling district in North Bengal.

At the same time, as many as 46 officers serving as principal secretaries to the previous cabinet have been placed with the state personnel & administrative reforms department for the time being. It will be decided later where these officers will be placed next.

On Saturday, just hours after the oath ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari, Subrata Gupta, a retired IAS officer, whose role as the Election Commission of India (ECI)-appointed special poll observer for the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls and received praise from all quarters, was appointed as the advisor to the new and ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari.

The new government on Saturday announced the appointment of Subrata Bala, an IAS officer of the 2017 batch of West Bengal, as the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. His earlier assignment was as the Additional District Magistrate of South 24 Parganas.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police authorities have transferred as many as 93 officers from the ranks of sub-inspectors, inspectors, assistant commissioners, and deputy commissioners out of the city police’s jurisdiction.

Most of these officers who have been transferred were influential in the Trinamool Congress-affiliated Police Welfare Association.

These 93 officers have been transferred to various places like Cooch Behar, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar in North Bengal, Sunderbans in South 24 Parganas district, and the tribal-dominated districts in the Western Sector of West Bengal, namely Bankura and Purulia.

–IANS

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Indisposed Punjab CM may miss ‘anti-drug’ mega rally in Moga

Chandigarh, Feb 16 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann may miss the “anti-drug” mega rally in Moga as he has been undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Mohali after experiencing exhaustion on Sunday evening.

The “anti-drug rally” under the government’s ‘Yuddh Nasheyan Viruddh’ campaign will see the presence of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Mann’s Cabinet colleagues.

A statement by Fortis Hospital on Sunday said, “Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visited Fortis Hospital Mohali on 15th February 2026 for a routine medical evaluation. “He underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment and standard diagnostic investigations. All vital parameters are stable and within normal limits. He is currently experiencing exhaustion and has been admitted for observation and supportive care. His condition is stable, and he remains under the supervision of a multidisciplinary medical team.”

The Chief Minister was rushed to Fortis Hospital from Dhuri town when his blood pressure shot up.

On Sunday, Kejriwal and CM Mann paid obeisance at the revered Rankeshwar Mahadev Temple and performed ‘puja’ at the historic Siddh Peeth in Dhuri.

Greeting people at the festival, the AAP chief described Mahashivratri as a civilizational celebration rooted in India’s ancient spiritual tradition and prayed that Lord Bholenath’s grace always remains upon every citizen.

CM Mann reaffirmed that the government remained firmly committed to preserving and promoting the state’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage for future generations.

He underscored that from commemorating the Shaheedi Diwas of Guru Teg Bahadur to celebrating the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Ravidass, the government continued to honour its glorious legacy with pride and devotion.

CM Mann was discharged from Fortis Hospital in September 2025 after he was hospitalised following exhaustion and low heart rate. At that time, his visit to flood-affected areas of Punjab was also cancelled due to his illness. In September 2024, when he was hospitalised, Fortis said that due to an increase in pressure in the Chief Minister’s pulmonary artery, there was pressure on his heart, leading to irregular blood pressure.

–IANS

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India’s annual corporate tax collection jumps over 200 per cent in 4 years

New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) India’s corporate tax collection has more than doubled from Rs 4,57,719 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 9,86,767 crore in 2024-25, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary told in the Rajya Sabha, aid in a written reply to a question, that the RBI, in the article “Resilience and Revival: India’s Private Corporate Sector” in its monthly bulletin for October 2025, has stated that during Covid, despite contraction in sales, decline in raw material cost due to softening of commodity prices, subdued wage growth, along with the favorable base effect, net profit at aggregate level rose sharply by 115.6 per cent.

Consequently, net profit margin surpassed its pre-Covid level. During post-Covid period, with a sharp rebound in sales growth led by pent-up demand, corporates’ profit increased significantly from Rs. 2.5 lakh crore in 2020-21 to Rs. 7.1 lakh crore during 2024-25.

The corresponding increase in corporate taxes between FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 is more than 200 per cent despite a reduction in corporate rates, the minister stated.

Chaudhary said that corporate tax rates have been gradually reduced over the years since 2016 to promote growth, boost investment and create more job opportunities. At the same time, exemptions and incentives available to the corporates have also been phased out to simplify the tax system.

The Finance Act, 2016, reduced corporate tax rates to 29 per cent of the total income. Then, under the Finance Act, 2017, the corporate tax rates were reduced to 25 per cent of the total income to inter alia make smaller domestic companies having an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore more viable and to encourage firms to migrate to the company format. Similarly, in 2019, corporate tax rates were reduced to 22 per cent.

Vide the Finance Act, 2024, tax rates have been reduced from 40 per cent to 35 per cent on the income of foreign companies (other than that chargeable at special rates) to promote investment and employment.

The minister highlighted that the tax base over the years has increased, which can be attributed to several legislative, administrative and enforcement measures taken by the government to improve voluntary compliance and widen the tax net.

These include NUDGE (Non-intrusive usage of data to guide and enable) taxpayer campaigns to improve the compliance ecosystem and to assist taxpayers in reviewing their ITRs and correcting mistakes, if any, by filing revised ITRs.

Expansion of the scope of provisions of TDS and TCS to cover more types of financial transactions, expansion and strengthening of third-party financial transaction reporting to obtain a wider range of data to identify tax evasion or under-reporting of income were other measures taken in this regard.

Besides, the implementation of the non-filers monitoring system (NMS) to identify potential taxpayers on the basis of third-party data and mandatory quoting of PAN and linking of PAN and Aadhaar helped to expand the tax base.

Action was also initiated against the generation and use of black money both inside and outside the country through legislations such as the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 and the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016.

Apart from this promotion of voluntary compliance through a high level of taxpayer service, expeditious resolution of grievances, ease of paying taxes and filing returns, promotion of digital transactions was also undertaken to enhance tax collections, the minister added.

–IANS

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PM Modi’s leadership unites nation towards growth: Pradeep Rathod

Mumbai, April 10 (IANS) India is rapidly progressing towards becoming a developed nation, a vision that has been dreamt of by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is now shared by every citizen of the country, said renowned businessman Pradeep Rathod in an interaction with IANS. Rathod said that the nation is united under the leadership of PM Modi, pushing forward in the direction of development.

He highlighted the impact of government policies on various sectors, including exports, imports, and manufacturing, which have seen significant growth.

“India is advancing rapidly on the path of development, which is now the aspiration of every citizen. We are all moving forward with the Prime Minister’s vision to propel the country towards growth,” said Rathod. He hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the ‘Navkar Mahamantra Divas’ event, held in New Delhi on April 9.

Rathod further noted that the government’s policies have provided new momentum to the manufacturing and export-import sectors. He pointed out that improvements in infrastructure — be it roads or railways — are being made at an accelerated pace, with projects such as DMRC and others being completed on schedule.

The expansion of transportation facilities has also helped improve the accessibility of agricultural products to better markets, strengthening the rural economy.

Rathod shared his personal experience from ‘Navkar Mahamantra Divas’ event where he had the opportunity to witness Prime Minister Modi’s presence, describing it as an energising experience.

“The presence of the Prime Minister at the event brought an incredible energy. Seeing him in person, it became evident that the country is truly blessed with a knowledgeable and compassionate leader,” Rathod stated.

He further elaborated on the Prime Minister’s words, highlighting the inclusive and patriotic nature of his message.

“There was no discrimination or talk of caste; it was solely a call for Bharat Mata and nationalism. He said that those who embrace Bharat Mata are truly part of this nation. The truth and warmth in his words moved everyone present,” Rathod added.

Rathod was deeply touched by the Prime Minister’s vast knowledge, which spans from religious scriptures to national service.

“The Prime Minister’s wisdom is not confined to any one area but covers everything from religious texts to national service, making his words even more impactful,” he said.

Rathod recalled his visit to Vigyan Bhavan, where he had the chance to meet the Prime Minister. “Meeting the Prime Minister at Vigyan Bhavan was a truly inspirational experience. His thoughts on world peace, religion, and national progress were full of positive energy,” Rathod remarked.

The event was aimed at promoting peace, change, and solutions to global challenges. Rathod said that the experience reinforced the importance of taking inspiration from the Prime Minister’s teachings.

“Participating in the event made it clear that we should draw inspiration from the Prime Minister’s thoughts every day. His message of peace and harmony touched our hearts deeply and strengthened our resolve to contribute towards creating a peaceful world,” Rathod concluded.

Rathod stated that the energy generated by the Prime Minister’s speech was a testament to his ability to unite people.

“His words have such sincerity and connection that they leave a lasting impact. This experience will remain with me for life and continue to inspire me,” he said.

–IANS

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