Meeting with Deputy Mayor of Kolkata

Malini Mehra met with Shri Debashish Kumar, Deputy Mayor of Kolkata with responsibility for Parks, Gardens and Sports, to discuss the TAGS campaign at his office in the headquarters of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMS), the local government of the city. The Dy Mayor also holds the climate change portfolio along with sports, making his position highly relevant to the objectives of the campaign.

Malini presented the TAGS campaign to Shri Debashish Kumar and a discussion ensued on existing provision in Kolkata and West Bengal for swimming, including infrastructure and training for under-privileged communities. It was agreed that the TAGS campaign’s unique integrated focus of drowning prevention, disaster risk reduction, climate change and girls empowerment, could make for a valuable training package in the context of existing priorities of the Government of West Bengal.

The government’s successful Kanyashree education support programme for girls was noted as particularly relevant in this context. Ms Mehra was invited to present a proposal for the KMC to consider which could complement existing good practice in the state and bring innovative measures in relation to the girl child.

Also in attendance were Jayanto Basu, environmental journalist and member of the Dy Mayor’s climate change committee, and Dolan Chatterjee from TAGS.