Santipur: Union Minister of Textiles, Giriraj Singh on Saturday inaugurated the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology at Santipur in Nadia district of West Bengal in the presence of state opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, Ranaghat BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar and other party legislators.
After the inauguration, Singh elaborated on the courses to be offered by the institute, built for Rs 80 crore and how the students can avail the benefit of various schemes rolled out by the Centre.
Set up in 2015, the institute had no dedicated building and the Union Textiles Ministry allocated Rs 80 crore for building construction which was opened by Singh. The intake capacity has been increased from 33 to 60 after degradation.
For admission to the three-year course offered by the institute, students with good scores in the Madhyamik (10th) and Higher Secondary (12th) Examinations can apply.
Not only Bengal, but prospective students from neighbouring Jharkhand and Bihar can enrol themselves, the college administration said. The students will also get residential facilities in due course.
"The state government has sent the textiles industry to its deathbed as several cooperatives are on the brink of winding up. The Chief Minister spends crores on advertisements but can't spare a penny for the ailing handloom sector. I would personally request her to assure the due benefits accrue to the weavers," Adhikari said.
Singh also strongly censured the state government. "You can hate BJP and its legislators but should not possess the same for the wage earners of the state," he said.
"Today inaugurated the campus of Indian Institute of Handloom Technology IIHT in Phulia, West Bengal along with Leader of Opposition Shri Shubhendu Adhikari ji, Ranaghat MP Shri Jagannath Sarkar ji, Ranaghat MLA Shri Asim Biswas ji, Legislative Assembly members Shri Bankim Chandra Ghosh ji, Shri Ashish Biswas ji, Shri Nipen Mandal ji," Singh wrote on X in Hindi.
आज पश्चिम बंगाल के फुलिया में नेता प्रतिपक्ष श्री शुभेंदु अधिकारी जी, रानाघाट सांसद श्री जगन्नाथ सरकार जी, रानाघाट विधायक श्री असीम विश्वास जी, विधान सभा सदस्य श्री बंकिम चंद्र घोष जी, श्री आशीष विश्वास जी, श्री निपेन मंडल जी के साथ इंडियन इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफ हैंडलूम टेक्नोलॉजी IIHT… pic.twitter.com/LyzHJAIS3N
— Shandilya Giriraj Singh (@girirajsinghbjp) January 4, 2025
It is worth noting here that state minister and Trinamool Congress leader Shashi Panja condemned Singh's remarks on Mamata Banerjee, calling them unconstitutional. "Making these kinds of statements is unconstitutional. This is very wrong. No Union Minister should make these kinds of statements and he should remember that there is a democratically elected government in West Bengal. The people of West Bengal have bestowed their trust upon Mamata Banerjee," Panja said.
On Friday, Singh criticised Banerjee over her remarks on the Border Security Force (BSF), accusing her of trying to turn West Bengal into a region similar to Bangladesh.
"Mamata Banerjee wants to make West Bengal like Bangladesh. That is why she is accusing the BSF, which protects the country at the border. Bangladeshi Muslims and Rohingyas are being settled in West Bengal and their number now surpasses those of the local Muslim population... If she has some courage, she should implement NRC and CAA in West Bengal," Singh told reporters.
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