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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Paper circular sparks protests, govt cites financial constraints

Paper circular sparks protests, govt cites financial constraints

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published Published on Mar 29, 2012   modified Modified on Mar 29, 2012

-Express News Service

Protests erupted across the state, but the Trinamool Congress government stood firm on its circular on the newspapers that readers of all government libraries should read.
 
“There is no question of withdrawing the circular. Every government has its own policy and the circular was prepared in accordance with government rules and policies. I knew about it. The chief minister also knew it before it was issued,’’ Abdul Karim Choudhury, minister for mass education and library services, said Choudhury met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today along with secretary of the department Rinchen Tempo and director of library services Kallol Mukherjee. The meeting lasted almost an hour.

Asked what Mamata wanted to know, Choudhury said: “She was concerned about the status of libraries all over the state and I told her about it.’’

Mamata, while leaving Writers’ Buildings for the day, refused to comment, saying Director of Information Umapada Chatterjee would brief the press about it.

Chatterjee told the media that the decision was taken by the department of library services and the chief minister’s office had nothing to do with it. “The eight newspapers have been chosen keeping in mind the financial capability of the state government,’’ Chatterjee said. Asked why only those eight newspapers were chosen, Chatterjee left the press meet.

In West Bengal, there are 12 government-owned libraries, seven government-sponsored libraries and 2,460 government-aided libraries. The circular is applicable to all of them.

According to the circular, in order to “develop learning of language and free thinking among masses” only eight newspapers should be purchased by the state government libraries - Sambad Pratidin, Ekdin, Dainik Statesman, Khabor 365 Din, Sakalbela — all Bengali; Sanmarg, a Hindi paper; and Azad Hind and Akbar-e-Mashrique, two Urdu newspapers have been recommended for the purchase of the readers at the libraries.

The move evoked serious criticism from intellectuals and opposition parties as well as the Congress. While Congress MP Adhir Choudhury said it was unthinkable in a democracy, the CPM tried to raise the issue in the Assembly but was not allowed to do so by Speaker Biman Banerjee.

The move was condemned by novelists Sunil Ganguly and Samaresh Majumdar. Gangopadhyay said, “No government can decide what a person should read and should not read. I cannot understand why this decision was taken.’’

Majumdar had similar views. “This government was elected with the blessings of so many people. They should not squander the blessings away. This fatwa should immediately be withdrawn,” he said.

Filmmaker Sandip Ray reserved comment: “I have not studied the issue thoroughly. So I can make my comments later.’’

Express News Service, 29 March, 2012, http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/paper-circular-sparks-protests-govt-cites-financial-constraints/929791/


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