After coming to power, the Bharatiya Janata Party government has taken major steps to stop cow smuggling in the state. A strict message has also been sent to the district police in this regard, a state government official said.
On the first working day of the new government, instructions were issued to intensify surveillance against cow smuggling.
A clear message has been given to the administrative circles to prevent cow smuggling at any cost.
It has also been stated that illegal cattle markets cannot be allowed to operate and must be monitored closely. Additional surveillance has been ordered to ensure that no illegal markets are opened.
The government has conveyed a similar message to the state police, following which the top brass of the police force also passed on the directive to district-level officers.
It is worth noting that the name of Anubrata Mondal was linked to the cow smuggling case. The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested him in connection with the case in 2022.
Later, his daughter's name was also linked to the case, and she was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. Both father and daughter were lodged in Tihar Jail before later securing bail.
Meanwhile, three trucks carrying cows were seized in Malda district amid allegations that the animals were being transported for smuggling.
Villagers reportedly spotted the vehicles and stopped them, after which the police and central forces reached the spot.
The incident took place near the Gajol Kadubari bus stand on National Highway 12.
Local resident Mintu Saha told media persons, "The state government has already announced that no illegal business can be done involving cows. Some people were buying cows from different markets and transporting them in three trucks. There were eight cows in one truck, five in another and three in the third truck."
Before coming to power, the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised to stop cow smuggling in the state and form a separate squad to monitor such activities.
Meanwhile, during the first meeting of the newly formed West Bengal cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday, a major decision was taken to allocate land for barbed fencing along the unfenced India-Bangladesh border to the Border Security Force within 45 days.
Announcing the decision after the cabinet meeting, CM Adhikari said the promise was part of the BJP's Sankalp Patra and had also been announced earlier by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"So in the first meeting of the new cabinet today, that decision has been cleared," Adhikari told reporters.
Another major decision taken during the meeting was the implementation of Ayushman Bharat in West Bengal. The scheme was not implemented by the previous All India Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee, which had argued that the state's own 'Swastha Sathi' scheme was sufficient.
CM Adhikari also said the cabinet had cleared the process of bringing West Bengal under several other centrally-sponsored schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishak Bima Yojana, PM Shree, Vishwakarma, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Ujjwala Yojana.
"The District Magistrates have been instructed to send all applications to the Central Ministry at the earliest," the Chief Minister said.
Speaking to the media, Adhikari assured that none of the welfare schemes introduced by the previous government would be discontinued.
"Not a single ongoing social project will be stopped. However, non-Indians or deceased persons will not be allowed to receive benefits from these schemes. This should not happen," he said.
The Chief Minister also announced that, with effect from Monday, West Bengal has been fully linked to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
"The previous laws like the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were being implemented in a very illegal manner in the state for so long. From today, West Bengal has been linked entirely with the BNS and BNSS," he said.
He further stated that the cabinet had decided to increase the upper age limit for applying to state government jobs by five years.
"Before the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, our Union Home Minister had said that there had been no fresh state government recruitment for the last 15 years. Many educated youths crossed the upper age limit for applying for government jobs. So, we have decided to increase the upper age limit by five years to provide them an opportunity to apply," CM Adhikari said.
(With inputs from IANS)
