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Saturday, January 9, 2010

AMARTYA SEN, NOBEL LAUREATE, MEETS BUDHADEB BHATTACHARJEE ON EDUCATION

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Thursday (24-12-2009) held a closed-door meeting with Nobel laureate Amartya Sen at a city hotel. The meeting lasted an hour.

Sources said that at the meeting which began late on Thursday evening, the two discussed issues such as agriculture, irrigation, primary education in the State and also the progress of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribe and the minority population in certain areas of the State. Professor Sen told reporters after the meeting that he was happy with the overall progress but felt that there was scope to do more. Mr. Bhattacharjee said that he discussed rural development with Professor Sen as also agriculture and the state of irrigation facilities in West Bengal. He said that by 2010 the State would extend its rural development projects further.

Professor Sen’s Pratichi Trust had recently submitted the second part of its report on the State’s primary education and the West Bengal government had begun implementing the suggestions made by the Trust. “Issues like introduction of compulsory midday meal and setting up parent-teachers committee” were followed by the government, sources said.

Enquiries revealed that the meeting was organised at the behest of the State government which wanted to discuss a few things with the son-of-the-soil Nobel Laureate and make its position clear on certain issues. At several fora Professor Sen has maintained that there was no need for the State to acquire land at Singur and it should have been left for the Tatas to acquire their requirement of land directly. He has also stressed the need for dialogues to resolve issues and ensure the State’s progress.

Source: The Hindu

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