Month: September 2019

Three Bokaro sites to be tourist spots

Source: dailypioneer.com

With an aim to promote tourism and boost revenue generations, Garga Dam, Satanpur Hill and Bhandaridah in Bokaro district have been selected to be developed as tourist spots.

This decision was taken in the district level meeting of Tourism Promotion Committee headed by Bokaro Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Kumar.

These three selected sites will be inspected soon by a committee and after inspection, one of these three proposed tourists destinations will be developed immediately, said Kumar adding “The remaining two destinations will also be developed later.” Besides giving a boost to economic activities, this tourist destination will give people living in the surrounding districts a chance to spend a few moments of leisure with nature too, he said.

This will work towards the collective goal of fostering visitor’s enjoyment and earning money for the respective destinations as well as for the local people residing within the catchment’s areas, said an official. Tourism is more effective than other industries in generating employment and income in the less developed often-outlying regions of a country where alternative opportunities for development are more limited, he said. It could have positive impacts on the local communities. Like other export industries, tourism can flow huge revenue to the government, creates an individual’s business turnover, household income and employment, said the official.

Not only Bokaro but entire Jharkhand has tremendous tourism potential considering its demography, rich ancient tribal culture and wildlife sanctuary. Blessed with nature’s unlimited bounty and blessings like hills, mountains, forests, and waterfalls, Jharkhand makes for a perfect holiday destination.Tourism must be utilized as a vehicle for economic development, he said.

During the meeting, Triloki Nath Singh representative of local MP PN Singh, Sushant representative of Minister of tourism, PBN Singh Tourism Officer-in-charge, Vikash Kumar Hembram District Public Relations Officer along with other executive engineers were present.

Faith and Values: To aid the environment, Buddhism teaches us to see interdependence between nature and living

Source: spokesman.com

This week’s column comes from Spokane Faith and Values’ Ask a Buddhist series.

“Does Buddhism contain any practices or chants to help the environment? Are there any texts that tell us how to interact with the environment? Are there any Buddhas that have a strong connection to the Earth?”

We can see from Buddhist scriptures that the Buddha, the Enlightened One, and his disciples lived in close harmony with the environment. The Buddha was born at the foot of a tree. He also attained realizations sitting under the Bodhi Tree, and he passed away under a tree. The Buddha taught that planting and nurturing trees are virtuous acts.

In the Vinaya – the code of behavior for monks and nuns – the Buddha advises that monastics should not cut trees, leaves and flowers, nor disturb the forest. He set guidelines for not fouling grasses or rivers. Modern-day environmentalists try to observe similar guidelines.

The Buddha’s heart instruction is to work for the benefit of all living beings and to cease harming them. To do this, he advises his disciples to live simply, with compassion, kindness and – as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama expresses it – “Universal Responsibility,” an attitude based on love, compassion and clear awareness that cares for all living beings. In order to live with universal responsibility for the welfare of all beings, we must care for the environment in which they live.

There is not a specific Buddha of ecology besides Buddha Shakyamuni. Some teachers turn to the Medicine Buddha or Avalokiteshvara – Buddha of Compassion, who appears in several different forms – for support on environmental concerns.

In addition, there are numerous meditation and mind-training practices we can do to support a healthy environment.

One technique to increase love and compassion and develop our capacity for universal responsibility is the taking and giving meditation – tonglen in Tibetan. In this practice, we imagine willingly taking on the suffering of others to counter our own self-absorption and imagine giving all our happiness and well-being to others to expand our love and generosity. This helps us to live more harmoniously with others and with our environment.

Another important practice is to develop an understanding of the interdependence between nature and living beings. We depend totally on the kindness of others; we wouldn’t survive without other sentient beings. By getting familiar with the reasoning of dependent arising, we develop a more realistic view about our existence and develop strong compassion and loving-kindness.

We can also see an interdependent relationship between our negative emotions and how we relate to our environment. For example, in order to gain material wealth and satisfy our sensual desires, we pollute the environment – the earth, water, and air. Therefore, Buddha teaches us to reduce our afflictive emotions and to be satisfied with what we have.

We also dedicate the positive energy – merit – from our meditation practice for the happiness of living beings, and that clearly involves having a clean and healthy environment. For this to come about, we also dedicate that people’s minds turn to have greater care and awareness for the environment, and for their – and our own – love, compassion, and skill to grow limitlessly.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists) and His Holiness the 17th Karmapa himself (the spiritual guide of the Tibetan Kagyu tradition) are strong advocates for environmental protection. So too is Vietnamese Master Thich Nhat Hanh. The Karmapa regularly incorporates environmental topics into his teachings and life’s work. He established the Khoryug movement and organizes annual conferences to encourage Buddhist communities and monasteries in the Himalayan region to act in sustainable and environmentally friendly ways.

Patna man seeks Rs 100 refund from Zomato, loses Rs 77,000 in dubious transaction

Source: indiatoday.in

Zomato user in Patna ordered food for a meager Rs 100 and ended up losing all money in his bank account, a total sum of Rs 77,000 while attempting to claim refund for his order.

The bizarre incident took place in Bihar capital Patna where Vishnu, an engineer by profession, ordered food via the food delivery app. When a delivery boy arrived at his door with the food, Vishnu was unsatisfied with the food quality and asked him to take it back.

The delivery boy instead advised him to call up Zomato customer care and asked Vishnu to Google search “Zomato customer care”. The delivery person asked Vishnu to dial up the first number on Google search results and follow the instructions.

After he called on the first available number, Vishnu got a call back from a person who identified himself as a Zomato customer care executive and said Rs 10 will be deducted from his bank account for Zomato to process the refund amount of Rs 100.

The caller then sent him a link for Vishnu to deposit Rs 10. Without any second thoughts about the whole procedure, the engineer clicked on the link and deposited Rs 10.

Within minutes of this transaction, Rs 77,000 was deducted through multiple transactions from his bank account and Vishnu was left with no money.

The money was deducted via multiple PayTm transactions and Rs 77,000 vanished within minutes and the man failed to do anything to stop it.

The incident took place on September 10 and Vishnu has since been knocking on the doors of the police, banks and several other forums but with no respite.

Onion Theft in Bihar After Its Price Soars

Source: newsclick.in

Patna: It is not only the common people who are concerned about the rising prices of onion, but the onion traders are also concerned about the safety of the produce, as onions worth Rs 8 lakh were stolen from a godown in Bihar on September 22.

At a time when apple is cheaper than the onion in the retail market in Patna and other districts across the state, a gang of thieves reportedly targeted a wholesale onion godown in Sonaru locality near Patna and stole the onions.

“It is true that a case of theft of onion was lodged by a wholesale onion trader. Police have begun investigation into the case and are conducting raids to recover onion bags that were stolen,” said Manish Kumar, officer in-charge, Fatuha police station, while speaking to NewsClick on Monday.

He added that video footage of a CCTV from a nearby locality is being examined.

Onion trader Dheeraj Kumar is upset after his 328 bags of onion were stolen by thieves. “I have never thought that onion will become a target of thieves. It all happened after prices of onion crossed Rs 50 [per kg] in the wholesale market. This incident of onion theft—first such instance in my memory—has created fear among the onion traders who are now taking extra care and are ensuring security of their godowns as well as shops,” said Dheeraj.

He confirmed that he has a filed a complaint with the police.

Another wholesale trader from the old Patna city, Krishna Prasad, said that onion has become a costly item following its unprecedented selling rate in markets. “We were shocked to know that thieves have targeted an onion trader,” he said.

Kanchan Devi, a housewife, told NewsClick that she has been forced to reduce the use of onion in cooking, as it is very costly. “I used to put half a kg onion to prepare foods for the family of five twice a day. Now, I am using hardly 200 grams,” she said.

A grocery shopkeeper, Mahesh Mahto, and a vegetable seller, Zahoor Alam, said that the demand for onion has drastically fallen in the last one week following the increase in its prices. “We are selling onion at Rs 60 per kg, but others are selling at Rs 70 to 80 per kg in Patna itself,” Alam said.

Saket Kumar, a businessman, told NewsClick that people have are buying and using less onion now. “Onion was selling at Rs 35 to 40 per kg till about a week ago, but it has almost doubled now.”

Rate of this essential vegetable is expected to touch even Rs 100 per kg in coming days, as the government has not brought in any measure to bring its price down.

In Bihar, onion is exported mainly from Maharashtra and South Indian states.

Patna diary: Union Minister Nityanand Rai adopts 42 differently-abled children

Source: newindianexpress.com

Minister adopts 42 differently-abled children 

Union Minister Nityanand Rai adopted 42 differently-abled children from his parliamentary constituency Ujiyarpur and home district Vaishali at Hajipur recently. Rai said all the costs of healthcare and education of adopted children would be met by him. “I have adopted these children observing the ‘Seva-Saptah’ in a way to celebrate the birthday of our PM. All these ‘divyang’ children would be taken to Kolkata-based rehab centres after Durga Puja for medical treatment,” he said.

Mongolia Prez visits Bodh Gaya, Nalanda  

Mongolia President Khaltmaagiin Battulga offered prayer in the shrine of Mahabodhi Buddhist temple at Bodh Gaya on Saturday. Feeling spiritually surcharged upon visiting the shrine, he was heard saying ‘What a great abode of divinity!’ Battulga received a memento and a sacred scarf at the shrine. He also visited a Mongolian Buddhist shrine. Battulga is on a five-day visit to India, which will end on  September 23. On Sunday, he along with a delegation and his foreign minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar and road and transport minister Byambasuren Enkh-Amgalan visited Nalanda. From Nalanda, the visiting president and his team left for Bengaluru where he has a series of meetings in the southern metropolis.

Bihar’s first all-women post office

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated Bihar’s first all-women employee post office at the premises of Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) with its all services being managed by women employees. On Saturday, Prasad said: “Besides this post office in Patna, such all-women post offices will be opened in 53 other cities of India to encourage women empowerment,” he  said. The sub-post office of BPSC has been upgraded to the status of Bihar’s first all-women employee post office in a symbolic move to encourage the empowerment of women, he asserted.

Mobile pollution testing vans in Patna soon

The transport department is all set to launch a mobile pollution testing van service in Patna on an experimental basis. “In the beginning, this service will be available via calls on a toll-free number.  The vans will issue the Pollution Under Control certificates on the spot at the residences or apartments of motorists at a nominal fee,” transport department secretary Sanjay K Aggarwal said. Also, 10 mobile pollution testing vans, will be deployed in service soon. 

Sabrimala Temple at Ranchi railway station pandal

Source: dailypioneer.com

This festival season puja pandal revellers of the city will get a glimpse of ‘Gods own country’ right here in Ranchi. Known for showcasing the heritage of various Indian states like Rajasthamn, Odisha and Jharkhand in the past few years, this year at the Ranchi Railway Station puja pandal, Ranchiites will get to witness the vibrant art and culture of Kerala.

From creating a facsimile of the famous Sabarimala temple to portraying the renowned dance forms Kathakali and Mohiniyattam to the traditional boat race Vallam Kali conducted during Onam, this puja pandal will have it all.

At the main entrance of the pandal, the visitors will be greeted by statues inspired from the south and also 1000 diyas will be lit up. To give a view of the boat race a 60 feet boat is also being made from bamboo and hay with figures performing Kathakali and Mohiniyattam on it.

In the passage leading to the main idol 100 hands will be seen in the various mudras of the Bharatnatyam. The walls of the pandal will be decorated using about 700 ‘dafli’ with dancers painted in the centre performing the Mohiniyattam.

The idol of Goddess Durga which will be about 15 feet tall will be seen in the form of a Kathakali dancer. The other deities will also be in various dance postures. All the idols are being made of clay while the costumes and ornaments are being made to order from the south. “Every year the organising committee tries to portray the diverse culture of India.

Representing different states, this year the theme for the pandal is inspired from the state of Kerala. For people who are unable to travel, it is our attempt to introduce them to the various traditions and cultures of our country. It is also an effort to create awareness about old and dying dance forms,” said Munchun Rai, President Ranchi Railway Station Durga Puja Committee.

Bamboo, coconut rope and hay are primarily being used for the pandal structure and minimum use of theramcool is being ensured. The entire structure of the pandal will be about 30 feet high and 50 feet broad. The whole event is being primed at a whopping cost of Rs 30 lakh. The pandal will be open to take visitors from October 3.

The organisers are also giving special emphasis to conserve the environment. Food stall owners around the pandal premises are being asked to ensure cleanliness and dry and wet dustbins will also be placed at frequent intervals. The committee has asked RMC to collect garbage twice a day.

 To maximize security about 10 CCTV cameras will also be installed. Separate lines using barricades for male and female pandal hoppers will be made.

For the first time, the organising committee is conducting the event not on the main road leading to the Ranchi Railway Station but instead the puja pandal is being set up in a colony situated right behind the station.

Jharkhand: Villagers blame Bajrang Dal workers for Khunti lynching

Source: indiatoday.in

Atribal man was beaten to death by angry villagers in Jharkhand over suspicion of selling beef. Two other men injured in the mob attack are now stable.

Speaking to India Today TV, locals from Suari village under Karra PS of Khunti district expressed shock and grief over the death of Kalantus Barla. Villagers claimed that workers from Bajrang Dal were behind the attack.

Police, however, have arrested some people from adjacent Jaltanda village on the basis of suspicion.

It all started when word spread that the three tribal men–Kalantus Barla, Philip Horo and Phagu Kachchap–were selling beef. As soon as the news spread, several workers of Bajrang Dal came to the spot and beat the three men, villagers added.

They were brutally thrashed with sticks following which Barla succumbed to his injuries and the two others are receiving treatment at separate hospitals.

Women from Suari village who spoke to India Today TV said they are upset with yesterday’s incident and vowed not to allow anyone from outside to enter the village.

The women added that they were performing a traditional ‘badgadi puja’ that involves the slaughtering of an animal and distribution of meat. It is performed every year in the village, the women added.

Expressing sorrow over Barla’s death, they indicated that he was not at fault and had only come to his sister’s place to participate in the puja. Barla was specially-abled and could not even run away, they added.

Philip Horo, who lost his wife around eight days ago, has no one to look after his old mother back home. Meanwhile, women from Hindu-dominated Jaltanda village are equally scared after the incident.

Speaking to India Today TV, they accused Bajrang Dal workers of being responsible for the mob attack, but are in fear after some of their relatives were picked up by police in connection with the lynching.

An uneasy calm prevails in the area as this is the first time when the two villages have been involved in such an incident over the past 100 years.

While police have arrested a few people on the basis of suspicion, investigations are underway to track all the perpetrators. Police officers investigating the case said nobody is allowed to take law in their hands and strict action will be taken against the perpetrators.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat visited RIMIS to meet one of the injured victims and termed Jharkhand as “lynchistan”.

Earlier in June, a 24-year-old man in Jharkhand’s Saraikela-Kharasawan, Tabrez Ansari, suffered a similar fate when he was beaten with rods after being tied to a pole for hours on suspicion of theft.

US couple alleges adopted child assaulted at Gaya centre, 5 held

Source: hindustantimes.com

PATNA: The Bihar government on Saturday closed an adoption centre in Gaya after a US-based couple complained that a child adopted by them from there in August this year was physically abused.

A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has also been lodged and five persons have been arrested, officials said on Sunday. They said all 13 children from the centre have been shifted to other centres.

“Following the allegations made by the US couple, we have been asked by the CARA [Central Adoption Resource Authority] to get the medical examinations done of all other children at the Gaya adoption centre and submit a report by end of September,” said Rajkumar, the director of Bihar’s social welfare department.

CARA works under the Union women and child welfare ministry and deals with inter-country adoption.

The US-based couple had adopted the five-year-old girl on August 17 from the social welfare department centre being run by a non-government organisation in Gaya. All the 13 children who lived there are all below six.

“After completing the formalities in Gaya, the couple left for Patna to get the passport of the adopted girl. They returned to the US on August 30,” said another social welfare department official, who is aware to the adoption case but not authorised to speak to the media.

CARA, in the first week of September, received a letter from the couple alleging that the child may have been mistreated at the Centre on basis of “discomfort in walking” and her “uneasiness” in seeing the pictures of the adoption centre in Gaya.

The official said that the allegations made by the couple were surprising as the girl underwent a medical test at a leading hospital in Delhi and was issued a fitness certificate before leaving for the US.

“Soon after the receiving the letter, the matter was reported to Mufassil police station, Gaya, by assistant director, child protection unit, and an FIR for offences under various sections of POCSO Act was lodged against the adoption centre. Five persons were arrested on Saturday,” the official said and added that the centre has been sealed.

Rupesh Kumar Sinha, station house officer of Mufassil police station, Gaya, said the case was registered on the basis of the complaint by assistant director, child protection unit, Gaya. “It was alleged in the letter that the baby girl might have gone through some physical abuse at the [adoption] centre. Five persons from the NGO, which used to run this Centre, have been arrested in this connection. The accused have been sent to the jail and adoption centre has been closed,” he said.

Bihar Man Blows Away Skulls of RJD MLA’s Kin, Her Male Friend After They Resist His Rape Attempt

Source: news18.com

Munger: A woman, who is an RJD MLA’s niece, and a young man were found dead in Bihar’s Munger district with their skulls blown away by gunshots in what police described as a double murder.

The bodies of Mohammed Asif and Twinkle Yadav, both aged 25, were recovered from the Sadar block premises in Mofussil police station area — around 180 km east of Patna — on Friday evening, district Superintendent of Police Gaurav Mangla said.

Yadav, who was living in Delhi for some time and preparing for medical entrance tests, had come home, the SP said. Her paternal uncle, Vijay Kumar Vijay, is the sitting Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator from Munger and had also represented the Lok Sabha constituency in 1990s.

Asif was a local resident whose father eked out a living in Saudi Arabia, according to Mangla, who had said earlier in the day that it initially appeared a case of “failed love affair”.

Later, it emerged that Asif’s friend, Danish, who was accompanied by some of his associates, allegedly tried to rape the woman, but faced stiff resistance from the two, the officer said. “In a fit of rage, he (Danish) shot them dead and fled.”

Earlier, Danish, who was picked up for questioning, said he had provided Asif with a firearm. He claimed that Asif shot Yadav dead before pulling the trigger at himself, according to the SP.

Danish claimed that Asif reached the spot with Yadav on Friday night to receive the firearm. It was not clear yet for what purpose Asif had sought the weapon, the SP said.

“We recovered the pistol used in the incident and the mobile phones of the deceased from Danish,” Mangla said. “Based on inputs from forensic investigations, we grilled Danish intensively and he spilled the beans.”

Efforts are on to nab the other associates of Danish, the officer added.

Non-teaching varsity staff in Jharkhand to gherao CM residence next week

Source: hindustantimes.com

Rattled by the ‘indifferent attitude’ of the state government in fixing 5th and 6th pay commission salary, non-teaching employees of all seven universities and 65 constituent colleges in the state have decided to gherao Chief Minister’s residence on Tuesday.

Jharkhand State Universities, Colleges Non- Teaching Federation (JSUCNTEF), the frontal organisation of non-teaching staff, on Saturday announced that since government did not respond on directive of chancellor (governor) and has been procrastinating, the organisation has been left with no option but to hit the streets.

Over 50,000 non- teaching staff of all seven state universities, Ranchi, Kolhan, Sido Kanhu Murmu, Vinoba Bhave, Koylanchal, Shymaprasad Mukerjee and Nilamber Pitamber University, would assemble at Ranchi University campus on September 24 (Tuesday) and takeout a procession for the gherao.

JSUCNTEF president Anil Kumar said that non- teaching staff have been working for 30-35 years but still are drawing 4th pay benefit. Education department has held up their 5th and 6th pay scale. Though governor had ordered to appoint nodal officer in each university and fix the pay by holding special camp. However, in the last three months no step has been initiated till date.

Anil Kumar said, after gherao of chief minister’s residence, the federation would wait for one week for government’s response and would proceed on indefinite fast at Ranchi.

“Government and its officers of higher education department have become insensitive. Teaching staff of university/colleges are being paid 7th pay scale but at the same time non-teaching staff has been denied the same. Actions of government is prompting employees on agitation path,” he said.

Chief Minister said his government wants ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikash’ but his action looks only for selected class, said JSUCNTEF.

However, a senior official of human resources development (HRD) said that since posts of several non-teaching staff were not sanctioned, they can’t be given benefit of 5th and 6th pay commissions.