Centurial transitition of Bengali society An indepth study by SANKER Unmitigated Violence Unleash of terror by Trinamool BJP goons in rural Bengal Vigyan Mancha State Conference

During 23rd to 26th January, people of Midnapur witnessed the sixth state conference of Paschimbanga Vigyan Mancha,the largest peoples' science movement group of the country. Nearly 400 scientists, technologists, teachers, writers and science activists gathered to discuss, analyse the organisational matters and to deleberate on the national and international issues related to S&T policy and its application. While the town was named as 'Vidyasagar Nagar', the venue was dedicated in the name of scientist Dr Ramatosh Sarker.

Peoples' science movement has got a long tradition in the country as well as in the state of West Bengal, which, however, attained the organised form with the creation of Paschimbanga Vigyan Mancha ( PBVM ). Initiated in 1987, it has in its fold more than 70,000 members, scattered all over the state along with 200 affiliated science clubs. At the national level 35
such state level organisations formed 'All India Peoples' Science Network'.

In the Inaugural address, General Secretary Sridip Bhattacharya described in detail the developments took place in last three years. The most important features are,

* Development of SAMATA groups in all the districts to ensure participation of women in science awareness programmes and also to motivate them in the spirit of self-reliance.

* Conducting Children Science Festival in national, state, district and block level to propagate the message of science among school children and also to inculcate scientific method of teaching.

* Setting up district level S&T centres to facilitate the activity of 'technology transfer'. One such unit was set up in the name of great scientist Dr. Kudrati-Khuda in Margram in Birbhum district and another such unit is being run successfully in Hoogly as a Agriculture Consultation Centre. Moreover, PBVM has taken up large scale implementation programme for setting up 'improved chulla' and 'sanitary murt' for spreading the health consciousness among rural people.

* PBVM, during this period, continued its programmes on health awareness, e.g., campaign for immunisation against Hepatities B, prevention from Malaria etc.

* Environment is one of the thrust areas of PBVM activity and nearly 500 school level Eco clubs are run. Last year a national seminar on ENVIRONMENT POLICY was held in Calcutta. The Calcutta committee of the organisation is quite active in awareness campaign against sound and vehicular pollution.

* It brings out two regular scince magazines – Kishore Vigyani for school children and Jana Vigyaner Istehar for general people. In last three years, from the time of fifth conference, more than 30 titles were published by the organisation. All these publications are relevant for science movement and also dealt with issues like astronomy, genetic and bio-diversity, WTO and patent regime, energy, peoples' participatory planning, Religion and fundamentalism, Science and society, Forestry and medicinal plants, Environment and Ecology, Nuclear explosion etc.

The conference was addressed by a host of eminent personalities. Dr. M.K.Prasad, Dr M.P.Parameswaran, Dr. Deb Kumar Bose, Dr. Ashis Ghosh, Dr Dilip Bose, Dr Utsa
Pattanaik, Dr Amiya Bagchi, Shri Sailapati Gupta, Shri. S.P.Ganchaudhury, Dr Gauri Pada Dutta, Dr Surya Kanta Mishra, Dr A.N.Bhadury, Dr Subimal Sen, Shri Vinode Raina, Dr A.D.Mukherji, Dr N.Mukherji were among the eminent speakers.

The conference discussed on issues like a) Agriculture and Technology Transfer b) Environment and Peoples' Health c) Science Popularisation d) Samata in the form of sub-congress. The conference resolved to take up programmes synchronising with panchayet level planning and setting up S&T centre in each district by year 2000.

Shri Sankar Chakrabarti was reelected as President and Shri Sridip Bhattacharya and Shri Styajit Chakrabarti were newly elected as Working President and General Secretary.