On Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came up with few absurd proposals during a review meeting of ‘Utkarsha Bangla’ which was launched under vocational training programme courses in the state. However, I having a personal experience with a victim who left the project because she accused the management of creating a mess, not just that but those who stay in the hostel are not even served proper facilities like food, water etc. I did a story on this harassment sometime back which you may read by scrolling down.

Let’s take a glance at the proposals that Mamata Banerjee suggested:

(1) Crash course for doctors to fill the vacant positions at respective hospitals across the state. Instructing state Health Secretary NS Nigam to look into the matter, Banerjee said, “You please find out whether we can start a diploma course for doctors, just like we have for engineers. Several boys and girls will get the opportunity to enroll for the medical course.”

(2) The Chief Minister suggested crash courses for nurses. She came up with a proposal for ‘Civic Nurse’. She said, “One can learn how to push injections or help with the pathological preparations within a stipulated time period. There are senior nurses to help doctors during surgery etc. These nurses can competent after the crash course and start working.”

(3) Taking of Law & Order, which is in total chaos in the state. Recently we saw police accused of protecting the criminals who had gang-raped the minor girl in Kaliaganj and subsequently running for protection when villagers united. Banerjee also the Police Minister, suggested crash courses for seven days after which they can be posted at respective police stations.

“The regular MBBS course takes five years to complete and asserted that a diploma course would address the shortage of doctors in the state. The proposed diploma course, as per sources within the West Bengal health department, could be of three years,” added Mamata Banerjee.

The medical fraternity in the state criticised the proposal. West Bengal Doctors Forum (WBDF) founder-secretary Dr Koushik Sarkar called the proposal as ‘unscientific’ and asked the state government to rethink. “The proposal of a three-year diploma course is not all scientific. I will request the state government to think scientifically,” added Dr Sarkar.

Regarding the crash course for police, experts condemned the proposal by saying there are numerous details apart from uniform and leading protocols that make a young incumbent qualified police personel. A retired top cop on a television debate said, “How is it possible as it takes months for an incumbent to understand and learn the basic legal aspects. Apart from that there are numerous details that a police personel must learn like recognising if it’s a murder or suicide and if murder etc. Crash course for police is absurd as it will reflect on their performance.”

The social media is abuz with taunts, critisism and condemnation. A popular journalist with a Bengali satelite news channel posted, “I am planning to give up journalism and take medical crash course.” Others too have been posting against the proposal.

Well, just the begining of another heated controversy that will take shape of a storm in the coming days. Presently, we have state medical fraternity protesting against the proposal but if Mamata Banerjee tries to impliment her proposal then it will acquire a country wide protest. Perhaps everything is “choto ghotona” (petty incident) for West Bengal Chief Minister.