Mamata Banerjee announces focus on youth, ailing tea gardens

Kolkata, May 27: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who took charge of the state for a second term on Friday, declared the young generation would be her government's focus in the next five years.

After assuming office for the second time, Banerjee distributed portfolios to her 41 ministers and discussed key points of action in the first cabinet meeting.

"We have to target the young generation. Agriculture, industry and employment generation has to be oriented," she told the media after the meeting.

As the Trinamool Congress supremo, Banerjee had tapped in on the common sentiment of disillusionment among unemployed masses in the state during her electoral battle in 2011 against the Left Front.

However, during her first stint as the chief minister, Banerjee has constantly faced flak from the Opposition (Left Front) for her inability to tap big-ticket investments to create employment opportunities for the youth and restrict them from migrating to other states for jobs.

The Left Front also criticised Banerjee's policies for a large section of the youth turning to the prospering 'syndicate' mafia for earning a living.

To deal with the issues in the tea gardens better, Banerjee announced the formation of a directorate for tea gardens in north Bengal.

"We have decided to create a directorate for the tea gardens in north Bengal to take care of the gardens. Sometimes there is a communication gap as the central government looks after it," she said

The step will help in meeting the challenge of etching out solutions for the ailing tea gardens and the malnourished workers of these gardens in the north Bengal hills, she said. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left Front have repeatedly attacked the Trinamool Congress for allegedly neglecting the tea gardens.

IANS