The project received international recognition in 2017. That year, the ‘Kanyashree’ project was selected as the best project among 552 social initiatives from 62 countries by the United Nations. The Chief Minister herself received the award at a ceremony organised by the United Nations in The Hague, Netherlands.The Chief Minister also recalled the contribution of the Bengali language and Bengali scholars to the country’s heritage and culture. In her words, “You won’t find the sweetness of Bengali language anywhere.”She said it is necessary to learn English as it is an international language. “You should know all languages. The more languages you learn, the more you will develop. But please don’t forget your mother tongue. Don’t forget your land,” Banerjee added.In her speech, she also mentioned the names of Bengali scholars including Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Khudiram Bose, Prafulla Chaki, Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Swami Vivekananda.Banerjee said, “If Bengal was not there, India would not have got Independence. Bengal’s soil has produced eminent people like Rabindranath Tagore, Nazrul Islam and Subhas Chandra Bose. The national anthem, the national song and the ‘Jai Hind’ slogan are all creations of Bengalis.”Her comments assumed significance as the Trinamool Congress has been alleging that Bengali-speaking workers from West Bengal are being “harassed” and “tortured” in various BJP-ruled states.Maintaining that an overwhelming majority of the country’s freedom fighters came from Bengal, she said, “You will find that almost 70 percent of inmates of the Cellular Jail (in Port Blair) were Bengalis. Freedom fighters from Punjab came second.”She also stated that those who had entered the country after the Partition are all citizens of India.
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