Jharkhand government seeks national fair tag for Deoghar Shravani mela

Source: hindustantimes.com

The Jharkhand government will send a proposal to the Centre requesting national fair status to Deoghar Shravani mela, the cabinet decided on Tuesday. The formal proposal will be made soon.

Putting a seal on the tourism department’s proposal, the state cabinet decided to take it up with the Union government in the form of a recommendation with the plea to declare Shravani mela a national fair, said cabinet secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh in Deoghar while briefing media persons after the meeting.

The mela is held in Baidyanathdham (Deoghar) every year in the month of Shravan (the fifth month of Hindu calendar from mid July to mid August) wherein people offer Gangajal to the Shivalingam situated in Babadham temple. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India wherein kanwarias (devotees) in lakhs from various parts of the country and foreign lands throng the temple city.

The cabinet also put its seal on removing state value added tax (VAT) that is being levied on liquor and human consumption items sold at army canteens of the state besides the border security force (BSF) training school in Meru (Hazaribag).

It cleared the decks for the construction of two new roads and reconstruction of three existing roads as well.

The new roads sanctioned are: Dumka ring road (7.45 km) at the cost of Rs 36.77 crore (revised estimate), BishnugarhNarki road (22.96 km) in Bokaro costing Rs 41.57 crore and Fatehpur More- Bangi road via Bhelwaghati (Rs 50.51 crore) in Giridih.

The roads for which widening and strengthening was cleared are: Katra-Kerakona road in Gumla (11.40 km; Rs 56.72 lakh) and the 6.31 km Koeridih-Dighria road between Punasi and Jasidih in Deoghar district costing 27.92 crore.

Jharkhand: Massive scams come to fore; Deputy Registrar suspended

Source: indiancooperative.com

Cooperative Department of Jharkhand has suspended three officials including Deputy Registrar Jaydev Prasad Singh accused of indulging in illegal appointments and financial irregularities in Jharkhand State Cooperative Bank.

Deputy Registrar Jaydev Prasad Singh, General Manager in the State Cooperative Bank has been accused of having indulged in financial irregularities.

During the investigation, it has been found that bank has distributed fake loans and it made no efforts in recovering the loaning amounts. The officers are also supposed to have tampered with books. The scam is of about Rs 54 crore.

After the investigation, Ramkumar Prasad, MD of Jamtara Central Cooperative Bank, Deoghar has also been suspended. Prasad has been accused of disbursing fake loans during his posting in Deoghar.

On the basis of investigation, as suggested by the inquiry committee, the department has also suspended the district cooperative officer of Chaibasa Lal Manoj Shahadev posted in the regional office of the bank at Chaibasa.

As per the inquiry report, the department has ordered to register FIR against Alok and seven other employees. The employees have been suspended.

Indian Cooperative’s effort to contact the Bank Chairman Abhay Kant Prasad drew a blank as his phone was switched off. The octogenarian cooperator Abhay Kant Prasad is held in high esteem due to his no-nonsense approach. People in know of things say that it is a matter of surprise that scamsters have succeeded in their plan below his nose.

The Department has also ordered FIRs against the then Chief Executive Officer Brajeshwar Nath, Project Manager Parishesh Pathak, Ramvriksh Prasad from Chaibasa based Gumla Simdega Cooperative Bank and Branch Manager Manoj Gupta, Sunil Kumar Satpathy, then Branch Manager of Saraikala, and Madan Lal Prajapati.

The committee constituted for investigation has prepared a 250 page report. According to media reports, the preparation for the transfer of state registrar Suchitra Sinha, who has acted tough in the matter with the help of new GM Sushil Kumar, is in the process.

Readers would recall that after taking over the charge of General Manager of the bank, Sushil Kumar had listed out several frauds. He drew massive irregularities to the attention of State Registrar of Cooperative Societies and urged investigation into the matter.

It is at his urging that the Government had constituted an inquiry committee headed by the Registrar that revealed various irregularities including disbursing loans through fake accounts.

After detailed investigation, the CBI investigation on this case was also recommended.

Jharkhand government eyeing intellectual property rights for Peda and Sohrai

Source: newindianexpress.com

RANCHI: With the intention of claiming patents on Deoghar’s ‘peda’ and ‘Sohrai’ painting of Hazaribagh, the State Government has decided to conduct a research survey for guidance in establishing intellectual property rights and geographical indicators of Jharkhand, outsourcing the work to the National Law School of India in Bengaluru.

The State Cabinet on Tuesday sanctioned Rs 33.55 lakh for the purpose.

The Cabinet gave its approval for research, survey and filing application for the registration of Geographical Indication of Jharkhand and guiding in establishing intellectual property rights centre for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

Officials said that the survey will be focused on MSMEs and the research will help them get intellectual property rights over products.

The MSME Centre in Ranchi will function as the nodal office for this survey. The famous Deoghar peda and Hazaribagh Sohrai art and many other products and art forms of Jharkhand may also come under this survey,” Urban Development Secretary Ajay Kumar Singh told the media on Wednesday.

Peda is offered to Lord Shiva at Deoghar. As per an estimate, annual turnover of peda is around Rs 50 crore, with a remarkable increase during Shrawani Mela.

Sohrai painting, on the other hand, is an indigenous art form practised by the women, where ritualistic art is done on mud walls to welcome the harvest season and to celebrate cattle.

Satsang Ashram

About:
Satsang Ashram, Deoghar is one of the most important pilgrim spots in the state of Jharkhand in India. The Satsang Ashram of Deoghar is of special importance to the people who have faith in the widely acclaimed religious leader called Thakur Anukul Chandra. It is commonly believed by the devotees of Thakur Anukul Chandra that if one visits this ashram, then he can attain calm and stability.  

To commemorate Thakur Anukul Chandra and his social work, many journals, periodicals and books are published from the Satsang Ashram in Deoghar. The books published from here belong to a variety of languages. Some of his major contributions are the establishment of quite a few industrial and socio-cultural organizations in the place of Deoghar. The mission behind putting up these organizations was to benefit the people of the state in the field of health and hygiene.

Satsong ashram was the middle from where Sri Sri Thakur’s man-making programme was directed. Thus a cluster of socio-industrial and cultural institutions have developed at deoghar. A visit to the ashram would inexorably take one out of the cobweb of mental blocks and would give one a feel of freedom, peace and progress. It shows the way of communal harmony and peaceful co-existence to the egocentric and trife torn world of today.

Sri Sri Thakur expectant people to earn an independent living with pioneering zeal and with concern for the environment. That is how a number of small and integrated industrial activities are seen within the premises of satsong ashram. There are literary activities, which is seen in the form of a number of books and periodicals in all languages. Jouranls like ‘Alochana’ and ‘Saptarchee’ (in Bengali), ‘Ligate’ and ‘The See-ence’ (in English), ‘Urjana’ (in Oriya), ‘Aryayan’ (in Hindi) and a few more periodicals get regularly published from this place and carry the message of ‘living with peace and progress’ to the humanity.

Thakur established several socio-industrial and cultural institutions in Deoghar with the aim of improving the overall health of the society. In addition, he advised and initiated people to earn independent living.Literary activities are organized here in the form of publishing books and periodicals in all languages. Several journals and periodicals, which carry the message ‘living with peace and progress,’ are regularly published from here.Ashram is visited by devotees particularly on the occasions of Bengalee New Year, which falls in the month of April, and after Dussehra in October. A visit to this ashram is believed to attain mental peace and harmony.
Location info:
Address:Satsang Ashram,Deoghar,Jharkhand ,India
District: Deoghar
Nearest City: Deoghar
Best time to visit: Navember to April
Climate/Weather:
 
History:
The association of this religious leader with the Satsang Ashram of Deoghar is a long one. Thakur Anukul Chandra spent as many as 25 years of his later life in this well known ashram of the state of Jharkhand. This religious person dedicated his entire life for the social and economic development of the people of the state.
Interesting things to do:
 
Interesting things to Visit:
Deoghar:
Deoghar is a center of peace and harmony that features many socio-cultural and industrial centers. It is a popular health resort and an important Hindu pilgrimage. The ancient temple of “Baba Baidyanath” one of the twelve jyotirlingas in India is located here, a place believed to be the route that Lord Shiva traveled on his way to Sri Lanka.Treasures of Deoghar: Nandan Hills, Navlakha temple, Mahadev Falls, Kundeswari Temple, Nav Durga Temple, Satsang Ashram, Tapovan.  

Baidyanath Dham:
Baidyanath Dham is situated in the Santhal Pargana of Jharkhand. Kamana Linga of Lord Shiva is situated here. Every monsoon (in the month of Shravan) countless devotees undertake a rigorous 100 km pilgrimage on foot from Ajgaibinath (Sultanganj) to offer holy water to Baba Baidyanath. The pilgrimage is deemed complete with homage paid at Basukinath, almost 43 km from Deoghar.Within the precincts of the main temple, there are 12 other temples, dedicated to different Gods, including Lord Mahadeva.

Trikut:
Trikut, 24 km west of Deoghar, is famous for its hill temples. The state highway leading to Dumka will take one to Trikut. Legend has it that many a sage attained salvation on the top of three bills situated here, popularly known as Trikut. The name of the hills has been derived from the three distinct peaks. If one travels by a bus or Trekker, one has to alight and climb to the tip of the hills, using the concrete steps built into the slopes of the hill. The hill consists of huge boulders. On the right in a small temple Parvati is worshipped. Close to her lies a Shivling. People flock here from far and wide during Shivratri.
Mobile range info:
 
How to reach?
Nearest Railway Station:The local railway station of Beas has regular train services to Amritsar and Jalandhar.
Nearest Airport:Amritsar airport,It has direct fights to almost all the key cities in India
Road Transport:Lying on the National Highway, Beas is well connected to all parts of the country by road.
Nearest Visiting places:
Golden Temple:
Golden Temple in Amritsar is popular worldwide for it’s golden dome. It is also known as swarn mandir and is a pilgrimage place for sikhs in India. The Golden Temple is attracting people from all walks of life irrespective of caste creed and religion.   Shining in the morning light, the gilded splendor of its paneling and big dome and small minarets, this temple is a fairy world palace to the devotees of the Sikh faith. Certainly, the first look brings onto the innocent eye the image of a transcendent fact The ‘loving sight’ peering into heaven from the legends of the miraculous cures by the touch of the water in the pool of nectar, in which the shrine stands makes for ecstatic awareness. The vision has been received by millions of pilgrims who have come here for centuries from near and far

Shri Durgiana Temple:
A Famous Hindu Temple with Sarovar attracts thousands of devotees everyday. This is a very peaceful temple, dedicated to Goddess Durga and Lord Krishna. Janmashtami festival celebrated at Durgiana Temple is quite famous.

Jallianwala Bagh:
The massacre of thousands of innocent civilians by British army on 13th April 1919 gave the Indian freedom movement an all together new dimension. A befitting memorials erected at the spot to remember the martyrs.

Wagah Border:
The Colorful Beating of the Retreat Ceremony by rangers from both India and Pakistan in Wagah is definitely a visitors delight Generally. A Visit to Amritsar in incomplete without a visit to Wagah Border. Now, it is also known as Ataari Border.

Durgiana Mandir:
Amritsar also has a enchanting temple dedicated to the goddess Durga. Easily reachable from the Golden Temple, the Durgiana Mandir was supposedly built in the 16th century. Being located in the middle of a lake gives the temple a wonderful overall view. The temple has a massive structure and is achetectually is styled along the lnes of the nearby Golden Temple.

Babaatal rai Tower:
Located few kms from the city, Baba Atal Rai Tower commomerates the spot where Guru Har Gobind is believed to have died. This nine storied building, named after the son of Guru Har Gobind, is a landmark of the place. To the top offers a panoramic view of the entire area. The first floor of the tower showcases some of the miniatures related to the life and teaching of Guru Nanak Dev.

Wagah Border:
Wagah, on the Indo-Pakistan border, is 28 kms from Amritsar. Numerous visitors come to see the ceremonious change of guards and the flag hoisting and lowering activities done skillfully and with precision by the border security forces of both the countries. A site you you should not miss.
Nearest Petrol Pump:
poreyahat Petrol Pump:Deoghar,Jharkhand,India
Hotels/Lodge/Accommodation:
New Grand Hotel: Deoghar, Jharkhand, India  
Hotel Shivam International: Deoghar, Jharkhand, India
Basera Hotel: Deoghar, Jharkhand, India
Hotel Yatrik:Deoghar,Jharkhand,India
Things to carry:
 
Tips & Suggestions:
 
Help Line/Phone Number:
Police Station:100
Nearest Hospital:
Sadar Hospital:Giridih,Jharkhand,India
Sadar Hospital:Dumka,Jharkhand,India
Society/Community Phone Number:
Link: