Day: September 18, 2019

Consul General Zha Liyou Attends Bodh Gaya Celebration Prayers for 70th Anniversary of Founding of The People’s Republic of China

Source: kolkata.china-consulate.org

On September 15th, at the invitation of the Kolkata Chinese Buddhist Association, Consul General Zha Liyou attended the Celebration Prayers for the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 72nd Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of India, jointly organized by the Bodh Gaya Chinese Temple and the Mahabodhi Temple.

More than 1000 people attended the event, including Visva-Bharati VC Bidyut Chakrabarty, Mahabodhi Temple Management Secretary N. S. Dorjee, Kolkata Chinese Buddhist Association President Chen Qiwei, Bhikkhu-in-Charge of Maha Bodhi Society of India Headquarters-Kolkata Ven. M Medhankara Thero, Mahabodhi Temple Chief Monk Chalinda, Bodh Gaya Chinese Temple Chief Monk Huirong, and monks from 68 temples in Bodh Gaya, representatives of overseas Chinese in Kolkata, media reporters and local Buddhism followers etc.

On the morning of the same day, accompanied by the Chinese lion dance performance, participants of the event left the Chinese Temple and walked to the Bodhi Tree of the Mahabodhi Temple. Monks devoted themselves to chanting of Song Of The Triple Gem, praying for the anniversaries of the two countries and stable development of the bilateral relations.

The Consul General delivered a speech and expressed his pleasure to join the prayers for the two countries at the Mahabodhi Temple. China learned Buddhism from India and becomes the largest Buddhist country in the world. As two ancient civilizations in Asia, China and India have achieved remarkable development achievements benefiting their people and making great contributions to prosperity and development of Asia and the world, as well as building a community with a shared future for mankind. He hoped that the event would create a good atmosphere for the development of Sino-Indian relations in the new era, and people from all walks of life including Buddhism would continue to support the development of Sino-Indian relations and contribute to people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Master Huirong and Chief Monk Chalinda thanked the people from all walks of life for attending the prayers and jointly praying for the health of Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping and their upcoming informal meeting in India, as well as bilateral relations and people of the two countries, and both firmly believed that the prayers will definitely become true.

Prof. Bidyut Chakrabarty, Mr. N. S. Dorjee, and Ven. M Medhankara Thero highly appreciated the prayers and wished it a complete success and the best of the Indian-China relationship.

Mr Zha and his wife jointly presented the guests with souvenirs specially made for the 70th Chinese National Day. With the monks chanting the Mahamangala Sutta and the distinguished guests lighting the candle devoted to Buddha, the event was successfully concluded.

Times of India, Hindustan, Bodh Gaya TV and other local media were present to report the event, and interviewed the Consul General.

One killed in clash between Patna University hostel students, locals

Source: indianexpress.com

A 45-year-old man, a bystander during a clash between Patna University hostel students and local residents, was killed after a stone thrown by one of the parties hit him on the head.

The police have arrested 20 students in this regard.

The clash took place after eight students were earlier arrested for passing objectionable remarks against a local girl.
According to the police, around 12.30 am on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, over a hundred students living in Cervantes and Minto hostels of Patna University and local Lalbagh residents began pelting stones at each other. Mohammed Shoukat, who had been standing at a tea stall, was hit by a stone on his head, and died on the spot.

His death sparked fresh protests from locals, forcing police to raid the hostels. Twetny students were arrested around 2 am. To avoid further clashes, police have been deployed at Lalbagh and near the hostels.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Garima Malik said: “We are taking stern action. The police deployment will continue and more arrests can be made”.

The chain of events started on Saturday, when inmates of the two PU hostels took out a protest march against the “poor quality” of food served in hostel canteens. During the protest, some students allegedly passed objectionable remarks against a local Labagh girl. After some locals protested this, one resident was beaten up. Police later arrested eight hostel students for passing the remarks and for assaulting the local resident.

The Monday night protest was triggered after students learnt that three Lalbagh residents had recorded their statements with the police against the arrested students.

Meanwhile, Patna University administration has taken stock of the situation and might take action against the students after an internal inquiry.

Modi govt again considering merging rail, roads, aviation, shipping into transport ministry

Source: theprint.in

New Delhi: The Modi government, in its second tenure, is once again considering having a unified transport ministry through combining the road, railways, civil aviation and shipping ministries, officials familiar with the matter told ThePrint.

A top panel of secretaries, constituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to recommend transformative ideas for the infrastructure sector, discussed the unified transport ministry idea with the cabinet secretary last month.

“We have recommended that the way forward is a unified transport ministry to provide integrated multi-modal solutions,” one senior official who did not want to be named said.

The secretarial panel is likely to make a presentation before the Prime Minister soon. “A final call on whether to go ahead with the recommendation will be taken only after the meeting with the PM,” the official added.

An omnibus transport ministry is not a new concept. Countries such as China already have it — the country’s Ministry of Transport is mandated to make regulations for road, railways, water and air transportation. Cities like New York and London have a single body to govern public transport.

‘Need for co-ordinated approach’

The panel on infrastructure, headed by aviation secretary P.S. Khairola, has also recommended that the role of the existing aviation regulator — Airports Economic Regulatory Authority — could be expanded to cover the entire transport sector.

As of now, close to half-a-dozen central ministries, including roads, railways, housing, civil aviation and shipping cater to the transport sector. Almost all of them work in isolation, with minimal or no coordination with each other.

“The idea is to have some kind of coordinated planning while setting up a road, railway line or airport,” said a road ministry official privy to the matter. “Presently, all the sectors are working in silos. A coordinated approach will not only improve efficiency but will also go a long way in cutting costs.”

The official added that it is one of the recommendations made by the group of secretaries on infrastructure. “Nothing has been decided on what will be its structure. Whether it will be an omnibus ministry of transport or an integrated transport planning body that will decide on projects and investment to be made in the sector.”

Citing an example, another senior official working in one of the infrastructure ministries said, “Suppose an airport is being planned in a remote area. An integrated approach could help in planning a rail or road linkage to connect to the airport.”

Not the first time

This, however, isn’t the first time that an ‘omnibus transport ministry’ idea has come up.

In 2014, the National Transport Development Policy Committee, chaired by former RBI governor Rakesh Mohan, had in its report recommended setting up a single unified transport ministry.

The report batted for a unified ministry of transport at the Centre with a similar merger of transport functions at the state level.

But not much came of it.

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has in the past five years spoken about the need to have an integrated, multimodal transport planning body to increase efficiency, in numerous public fora.

In fact, in its first term, the government had set up an infrastructure committee headed by Gadkari to address bottlenecks that were stalling big-ticket infrastructure projects. Besides Gadkari, ministers from the railways, shipping, petroleum among others were part of the committee.

The idea to have an omnibus transport ministry elicits a strong response from transport sector experts. While some experts feel that it’s about time that India too has a unified transport ministry, many think that it is “unimplementable”.

Former Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar said that this kind of a merger is not a good idea. “It will be difficult to implement,” Kumar said. “Take for instance railways. It’s a huge setup and demands a high degree of specialisation and resources. The entire machinery is well oiled. I don’t think unification is required. It will only add to the red tape.”

However, a road ministry official who did not want to be named said that the integration being proposed will not be at the “operational” level but at the level of planning and investment.

“We have limited resources. Private investment is dwindling,” he said. “In a situation like this, an integrated approach will go a long way in planning and using the available resources judiciously.”

Flood alert for UP, Bihar as river waters rise over next few days

Source: livemint.com

New Delhi: Even as parts of north and eastern India remain rain deficit this monsoon season, increased rain over neighbouring Nepal could spell trouble for some districts in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the river levels are likely to rise during the next few days.

In its latest forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that enhanced rainfall in Nepal till Wednesday could lead to a rise in the water levels in rivers in East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar over the next three days. This could lead to flooding of some of the low-lying areas along the banks of Yamuna and Ganga.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has sounded a flood alert for all the districts in Bihar along the course of river Ganga from Buxar to Bhagalpur and districts in Uttar Pradesh downstream of Yamuna till its confluence with Ganga at Allahabad. “A close watch needs to be maintained all along the course of the rivers,” stated CWC in its latest update.

Yamuna has been rising due to continuous releases from reservoirs in Chambal, Ken, Betwa and Sone Basins in Madhya Pradesh, which has received excess rains this monsoon season. It is flowing in Severe Flood Situation in districts of Etawah, Auraiya, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Prattappur in Uttar Pradesh and is likely to cross the Danger mark in Allahabad on Wednesday.

The rainfall has been excess in West Madhya Pradesh to the tune of 54%.

This would further impact the flow in Ganga which is also expected to rise all along its course from Allahabad to Patna in Bihar over the next four days. Some of the other rivers which could rise include- Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati and Narayani.

On the eastern front, river Brahmaputra too is flowing in Severe Flood Situation in Jorhat district of Assam, due to heavy rain in the catchment areas.

Both Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have witnessed deficient rains to the tune of at least 20% each, despite an excess of 4% monsoon rains over the country this season. The deficit has been much more pronounced in neighbouring Jharkhand, where some districts are facing drought-like conditions. As on September 11, only northwest and eastern states of the country remain rain-deficit in the country.

The withdrawal of the monsoon is delayed yet again this season. Normally it begins to withdraw from the West Rajasthan around September 1.

NCW chief to meet Nitish Kumar, Bihar DGP as Muzaffarpur ‘horror home’ inmate is raped

Source: theprint.in

New Delhi: National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma will meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the state’s director general of police (DGP) to discuss the alleged rape last week of a former inmate of the Muzaffarpur shelter where an abuse scandal was uncovered last year.

Sharma told ThePrint that she and her team will visit the state Thursday to take up the increasing incidence of crime in Bihar with the DGP and the CM.  

The 18-year-old victim had been living with her family since July last year, after leaving the shelter for destitute women where dozens of inmates were allegedly subjected to sexual abuse. She was reportedly on her way to a relative’s house in Bihar’s West Champaran district last Friday when four men pulled her into an SUV and raped her.

A video of the victim, seen in a niqab, detailing the crime has since gone viral. Latest reports suggest four arrests have been made in connection with the case.

Sharma said she will meet the teenager who had suffered the “horrific incident”.

“First, she suffered in the shelter home, then she had to go through this harassment… What kind of protection is she being given?” Sharma added.

“The NCW has been receiving increasing complaints from Bihar about violence against women — something needs to be done about this,” she said.

“I think the primary reason behind this is police apathy in the state. They don’t take women seriously, they unnecessarily delay filing the FIR,” she told ThePrint. “I will discuss all these matters with the state’s DGP.”

The Muzaffarpur shelter home

The Muzaffarpur sexual abuse scandal came to light after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) found in an audit that over 30 girls had been allegedly raped and assaulted at a state-funded shelter for destitute women and girls. Shelter owner Brajesh Thakur, who also ran a newspaper, has since been jailed.

In February 2019, the Supreme Court ordered the case to be transferred from Bihar to a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Delhi.

Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurates the exhibition ‘Shashwat Maharathi : The Eternal Seeker’ on Chitracharya Upendra Maharath

Source: indiaeducationdiary.in

New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Culture& Tourism (Independent Charge), Shri Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated the exhibition ‘Shashwat Maharathi : The Eternal Seeker’ on Chitracharya Upendra Maharath at newly renovated Jaipur House in National Gallery of Modern art New Delhi today. The Exhibition showcases more than 1000 works of art, design, and woven objects of art by Chitracharya Upendra Maharathi. Exhibition will be remained open for general public from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm Tuesday to Friday. On weekends people can visit exhibition till 8:00 pm.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister congratulated NGMA for beautiful restoration of Jaipur House. He also appreciated the Exhibition ‘Eternal Seeker’ which is showcasing magnificent work of Shri Chitracharya Upendra Maharath.

The show of paintings, drawings, murals sculptures, woven cloths and chairs all point to the zenith of his creativity. His interest in Buddhism brought forth many designs that were inspired by Buddhist ideology. The installations in the retrospective have been designed by DG, NGMA Adwaita Gadanayak. The Exhibition has been curated by Adwaita Gadanayak and his team.

Maharathi was author of many books too, The Book on bamboo art, “Venushilpa” was among the best. Vaishali ke Lichhvi (The Lichhvi dynasty of Vaishali), Bouddha Dharma ka Abbhuthan (The Rise of Buddhism), Indragupta were some of the other memorable works.

Following the tradition of ancient art of sculpture, he designed many noted buildings : Venuban Viharin Rajagriha, Sandarbh Vihar, Ananda Stupa, Prakrit and Jainology Institute at Vaishali, Nava Nalanda Maha Vihar at Nalanda, etc. of great interest is the outer facade of the Nalanda Railway Station, are among those specially designed at the exhibition at Jaipur House .

Born in the village Narendrapur, Puri district in Orissa, in May 1908, Maharathi finished from the Govt College of Art, Kolkata, as an artist cum architect. In later years he came to Patna in Bihar. From 1933 to 1942 he advocated a literary-cultural revival as he worked in the publishing house, “Pustak Bhandar”, in Laharyasari, Darbhanga. In 1942, he was appointed a special designer in the Department of Industry, Govt of Bihar. In 1954, he visited Japan to attend the UNESCO International conference as representative of India.

‘Hindustan Poorvoday’: Amit Shah to deliver roadmap for turning east into India’s growth engine

Source: hindustantimes.com

Home Minister Amit Shah, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghuvar Das and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi along with other regional politicians and achievers will come together in Ranchi on Wednesday to dwell on a roadmap for transforming the east and making its states, including Jharkhand and Bihar, the new engines of Indian economy.

The one day brainstorming session, being organised under the banner of ‘Hindustan Poorvoday’, will also see these leaders exchange views on the eastern states’, particularly, mineral-rich Jharkhand’s present contributions to the Indian economy and its potential to increase it manifolds in the near future.

The event will be inaugurated by the Union Minister for Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad at 10 am at the local Radison Blue hotel. He will present his views on the economic opportunities and challenges for Bihar and Jharkhand. Home Minister Amit Shah will make the valedictory address incorporating the growth roadmap for these states.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghuvar Das will throw light on the contributions made by the state in India’s overall development.

Jharkhand Congress chief Dr. Rameshwar Oraon and former Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) Working President Hemant Soren will present his views on the need to protect the natural resources–waters, jungles and the land– of the state while pushing it along the developmental path. The tribal societies of the eastern states and their needs and challenges will also be discussed.

The daylong event will also see achievers from different walks of the society, including sports, talk about the eastern state’s appetite to throw up sporting talent, who regularly shine on the national and the international stage.

The event will also see several ordinary men from Jharkhand getting felicitated for their extraordinary deeds. The sons of the soil to be honoured during the event include Dilip Ravidas, head of a Panchayat in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district, whose efforts for water conservation won him praise by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Man ki Baat’ radio address.

Ravidas says prime minister’s recognition for his campaign for water conservation has energised his entire village where the government buildings, schools and healthcare centres have been drawn into water conservation efforts under the guidance of government officials.

Jharkhand’s Garwah resident Brajesh will be felicitated for scripting a success story out of horticulture against everyone’s advise. His techniques, to be patented soon, have received praise from agriculture scientists and fellow farmers alike. Rameshwar from Ormanjhi block in Ranchi was the leader of a group of villagers, who pooled their resources and labour to construct a check dam to collect water flowing downhill. Rameshwar will also be awarded during the event. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) recognised farmer Hema Devi, a resident of Deoghar district in Jharkhand, who will also be felicitated for adopting modern farming techniques and later teaching fellow women how to successfully transform their lives by forming cooperatives. Ravidas, Rameshwar, Hema Devi and Brajesh will be joined by several others who will be recognised at the event for inspiring entire communities with their enterprise and never say die spirit.

One dead, 7 injured as leopard goes on rampage in Jharkhand village

Source: hindustantimes.com

A panicked leopard went on rampage in a Jharkhand village on Monday morning killing one woman and injuring seven others, forest officials said.

The attack took place in Pakur district’s Nashipur village under Maheshpur block. A team of forest officials reached the village but faced an uphill task to capture the leopard in absence of its experts and a tranquilliser.

“The leopard entered the village early in the morning and killed one Sonamoni Tudu, 65, who had gone to collect mushrooms in her farm field. Leopard bites were found on her neck and shoulder,” said Anil Kumar Singh, forest range officer, Pakur.

Singh, who is camping in the village, said the villagers with sticks and other weapons tried to capture the animal in the morning but the panicked leopard injured seven of them.

“Six people were sent to Maheshpur hospital for treatment while one Stephen Hansda,40, who is serious, was referred to PMCH, Dhanbad,” Singh said.

Forest officials gave away Rs 25,000 to Tudu’s kin for final rites and Rs 25,000 to Hansda for treatment. As per the forest department’s rule, a compensation of Rs 4 lakh is given if one dies in a man-animal conflict.

Singh said, “The village crowd is posing trouble in driving away the animal. If need arises, we will impose section 144 to keep the situation under control.”

Singh said houses in the village were scattered and there were farm fields in between the houses where the leopard was hide and seek.

“Since we neither had tranquilliser nor its expert to capture the leopard, we have sought guidelines from the divisional forest officer,” he said.

Villagers said this was the first incident of killing by leopard in the village in recent years. One such incident took place a year back at Agua hill, which is located five kilometer away from the village, a villager said.

The forest officials said the leopard might have come from the Agua hill where forest cover was degrading for past few years. The animal might have deviated from its route and entered the village.

State wildlife board member DS Srivastava said, “Santhal region has good population of leopards. With tree cover degrading in the region, now they are coming out of the forest and entering villages in search of food.”